FourTris One-Shots & Short Stories
by FourTrisHEA
Summary: I will be posting FourTris one shots and short stories here. I hope you enjoy, feel free to private message me with any questions. DISCLAIMER: *Inspired by The Divergent Series, which is written and owned by Veronica Roth. I do not own the original book series or created characters. *These stories may contain implied adult-intimate-situations, minor foul language, and mild
1. OS1: Memory Serum & Hope (Fourtris)

_**One Shot: Memory Serum & Hope (Fourtris) **_

_**Background**_ _ **: Based on the MOVIE Allegiant which is different then Roth's third book. All characters belong to her. This story is starting at the reunion of Tris and Four in front of the Erudite Jail, and then following them to convince Evelyn to not release the serum. This alternate movie ending will deviate from there. No Peter or Caleb in this version. For those that didn't see the movie (Theo and Shai...amazing) - - at the bureau the climax was Four trying to get Tris to leave with him, he discovered things were not as they seem. Tris was torn, but choose to not side with Four and instead she trusted bureau director David and went to Providence. It was there Tris discovered that David was NOT trustworthy or good. She then discovers Four is in trouble back in Chicago so she goes to help him and of course their goal is to stop the memory serum from destroying the city.**_

 _ **Scene 1: Tobias POV**_

I slowly open my eyes, it takes me a moment to remember where I am, and why I am in such terrible pain.

Then it all comes crashing back to me, my own mother had me locked up in a cell as she is convinced she is doing what is best for Chicago, what is best for me. I would like to believe Evelyn didn't realize what her lap dog, Edgar, would do to me the moment she left me alone with her trained thugs.

That low life knocked me unconscious, as three of their men held me down. That is pathetic. No wonder my mother was able to train him so well. He is weak and malleable, whereas I am not. At least not for her.

These idiots have no idea what the memory serum will do, will do to ALL of them. To all of us.

I suddenly picture Tris. Her smile, her eyes bright and a window into her strength. For now, I am thankful she is safe in the Bureau. I imagine for a moment what will happen if I lose everything. If I lose who I am. Will she come for me? Will she think I am worth the effort?

I know the answer. She will. I am hers and she is mine.

Enough, I need to move. I need to stop Evelyn from making this terrible mistake.

I lay still while I compose myself. Thankful the door key I swiped during the scuffle is still safely in my hands. I need to catch them when they are least expecting me. And then I hear a commotion outside of my cell. I remain still, I need to time this correctly.

When I hear chaos is when I stand up, I am stunned to see the disks that can only be from a bureau issued suit, it goes directly to the glass – as if to let me know I have been seen. I step back as I am sure things are about to get ugly for Evelyn's minions in a moment.

When I see my opening, I unlock my prison from the inside and take out the last two remaining guards. Of course I am sure my rescuers could handle the last two, but this way my ego can remain intact.

And then I see her. Tris. She quickly disengages her suit's eye gear and swiftly walks towards me. I painfully make my way to her as well. The last time we were in the same room, it seemed like we would be at different sides of an ideal forever.

I know what I saw in the fringe – and it was so wrong. No matter how David tried to justify it. Stealing a child from their parents and then again stealing who they are. I tried to explain this to Tris, to make her understand. She didn't choose me. She choose him.

I stand still, as I wait to see where she is now. I will have my answer in a moment.

She comes to me, no hesitation, seconds before her lips are on mine she whispers "Hey." The next moment she pulls me close and her lips travel the distance between us. My body and heart immediately responding to her. I slide my arms around her, resting my good hand on the small of her back. She is here. She is safe. She is with me.

We break apart slowly, and as she presses her forehead to mine I finally whisper "Hey." Back to her.

Tris is full of remorse, "I am sorry. I never should have trusted him."

"You were doing what you thought was right." I remind her, because I know she stood her ground truly believing she was doing what was best for everyone. Even if it was against me and what I knew. I can't hold that against her, I won't. It is part of her that makes me love her more than anyone.

Tris looks at me then, I can see she is overcome with emotion. And then she tells me, the words that I live to hear from her. "I love you."

As the words leave her help lips, I can feel my heart racing, my skin tingling…as much as I want to say it back. My basic need that must be fulfilled is to feel her again. I look in her eyes and pull her tightly against me, this time I devour her lips with mine. I hear her small whimper.

I wish we were alone, even just for a full minute. But then I remember Christina is standing just feet from us, like a creep. Seriously – who doesn't back up and give two people who are in love some privacy? Aside from the show we are putting on, I know we have work to do.

As I pull away from Tris, I look into her eyes that are staring back at me. "We should find Evelyn." I tell her.

Tris nods her head in agreement.

As we rush past Christina, who at least seemed to have her head lowered during our loving reunion telling her to come along.

We quickly decide that Christina will head towards the control center while Tris and I track down Evelyn. I will not let Tris out of my sight again. Not today, not ever.

+o+++o+

 _ **Scene 2: Tobias POV**_

As we rush to the serum vault control center, we see that the memory serum has already been activated. I see my mother who is inside, she does not look as sure of herself as I thought she would. Especially after making such a drastic move.

"Evelyn you have to stop this!" I call to her. I know she can be reasoned with.

"I didn't want to do this. I have to. I am the only one that knows how to keep Chicago safe. No one believed me, not even you Tobias!" Evelyn adds while looking at me with a combination of desperation and disappointment. "This way all of the people outside will be reset, and we can move forward under my command. I will be the one to keep everyone safe. That includes you Tobias, you are _my_ son."

I feel Tris stiffen next to me, and I do not miss the looks that pass between the two women. My mother having shifted her gaze to Tris, as a warning.

"Evelyn, I want to stand by your side. But what you do to this city, you also do to me." I plead with her. "Mom." I finish, looking into my mother's eyes. I am instantly reminded of the little boy I once was. Looking at my mommy, and thinking she was the only person on this earth that would ever love me. That was before she left me, left me with him.

Evelyn whispers my name shakily as she looks at me adoringly.

I need to explain to her, what she is doing. I need her to see that is not right. "I won't know who you are."

I can see her internal battle. "Don't do it." I plead.

And then Tris whispers "Please." And I know Tris means it. She understands that we are at the mercy of my mother.

I see the change in Evelyn the moment her eyes focus on Tris. I can pinpoint the exact moment in which her decision was made, she even smiles as she turns her attention back to me.

"You won't know who I am. But you also won't know _her_." She says with conviction.

My blood runs cold. Is this woman insane? She dislikes my girlfriend so much that she would wipe away the memories and lives of an entire city, of her own child – just to separate me from Tris. As realization passes through my face, Evelyn looks sad. She can see the horror I am feeling, as I understand what she is saying.

I take a step back from the glass. Suddenly wishing I was as far away from her as possible.

"It will be for the best Tobias. I don't want you to worry. There will be peace in the city, I will fight to keep the others away from us. When this is over, I promise to take care of you. I will do things the right way this time. Wiped away will be all of the resentment between us, I will be your mom, as I am meant to be. As I deserve to be. You are _my son_!" she declares.

Tris gasps and closes her hand over her mouth. Her eyes filling with tears. And then the anger in me rises. I bang on the glass door with all of my strength. Evelyn is startled and takes a step back, only to straighten her back and stare me down once she realizes the glass will hold. She is safe in her vault. She will be fine.

"Tobias, I promise you. As soon as it is done. I will not harm Beatrice. I will send her away, she is young, she is… _somewhat_ attractive, she will still have a good life – just not with you." My mother assures me, as if she will be doing me a great favor. I imagine in her mind, she will think that not having Tris executed or sold into slavery is a huge gift to me.

"You are a horrible person Evelyn. I used to think that you were a victim to Marcus, and that he was ultimately to blame for all of our wrongdoings, but I was wrong. You are truly evil. The only good in this, is now I know I come from not one, but two horrible people. What does that make me?! Tris will be better off without me, she deserves better. I hate you Evelyn." I scream the last sentence at her. I see the way her face contorts with anger and loathing.

And that is when I hear Tris softly crying, shaking her head from side to side as she looks at me. "How could you think that? I will never be better off without you. I love you, I need you. You promised you would be my family now." Her voice softly trails off.

In that moment I instantly regret what I said. I do love Tris, and she has made me the man I am today. "Baby, I am sorry, I didn't mean it. Even if you would be better off without me, I would never be strong enough to walk away from you. Look at me," and she does, tears pooling in her eyes, "I love you. You are the only person I have ever really loved. You have me, all of me. Always. I promise." And then I realize the tears are also falling down my own cheeks.

Tris wipes them away with her thumbs and then kisses my cheeks to kiss away the moisture that remained.

It is Evelyn's sharp cry that breaks us from our embrace. She was mistaken. She is not safe in her little room. Even the serum vault control center is now filling with the memory serum. She is unable to unlock the door, we were all too late.

After all of her planning, and her defiance against the bureau – she will be left with nothing. No power. No knowledge. And most importantly, not me.

I look at Evelyn sadly one last and final time and grab Tris by the hand to lead her away. I want our last moments as who we are, to be alone.

And that is when I have an idea, I break into a run. Remembering where the storage closet that is full of supplies is.

+o+++o+

 _ **Scene 3: Tris POV**_

I have no idea what Tobias is planning, or why he suddenly looks pleased. Our lives are literally crashing down around us. After running for a few minutes Tobias breaks us into a small room. Firmly shutting the door behind us, he pulls me into his arms and look at me.

"I love you, I will always love you." Tobias whispers to me.

I nod, I am so overcome with emotion, that I can't even form words. Instead I show him, I thread one hand into his hair that grows right above his neck, while my other hand untucks the back of his shirt from his waistline and slips underneath to slowly trace the tattoo slowly up his spine. I hear the hitch in his voice. As he presses his forehead against mine, staring deep into my eyes.

I gently lick my lower tip with the tip of my tongue, which I knew he would take as his invitation. Suddenly his mouth is on mine, kissing me furiously. His hands moving to hold my hips firmly as he presses his body against mine. I instantly feel the tingling fire in my stomach. I want him. I always want him.

He pulls away from me in order to speak, just as I am starting to press myself even closer to him. "Tris. I have an idea. If we can stay in this room alone, when we lose our memories – we can try again. We can still be together. I know it won't be the same. But if we have hope, hope that there will be an 'us'. That I can live with."

"Because without you, there is no me. You die. I die too." He reminds me.

Tears fill in my eyes, I nod my head. I have to believe we can be happy again. I watch as Tobias start looking through baskets, and in drawers. He run over to me, waving a permanent marker, a huge smile on his face. It is contagious, I find myself laughing too, I kiss him on the cheek.

"Here is my idea, it is the only one I have. Hear me out Tris." He says, now sounding nervous. "I want to be with you, and we are going to be surrounded by people who also have no idea who they are, or who they are supposed to be _with_. Let's write a note to ourselves, on our bodies. At least it will point us in the right direction."

I laugh and nod my head. I love this idea.

"Ok, let's take off our shirts." Tobias says while giving me a big smile, he does get a laugh out of me.

Suddenly we are both shirtless, me in my black bra. I see his eyes raking up and down my body, and then he bites his lower lip. One of his mannerisms when he is either nervous or trying to distract himself from doing what he really _wants_. In this case I am guessing it is the latter.

He offers to write on my arm first. As he starts to write " **My name is Beatrice "Tris" - - - "** he stops and looks at me. "Tobias, what is wrong?" I ask, concerned.

He clears his throat, this time he does sound nervous. "Tris. I love you. I…I mean… I just…" he stammers.

"Now you are scaring me, what is wrong?!" is ask frantically. The stress starting to wear on me.

"Tris. I love you. Will you marry me?" Tobias says, with sincerity. And then suddenly he is down on one knee, and he takes my hands in his.

"What?" I whisper, not quite understanding what he is talking about.

"I want to write your name down as 'Tris Eaton' I want to write down that we are married. That we love each other and we never want to be apart. I want to write down that one day, we want to have a baby, to grow our family through _our_ love. I want you Tris. Forever. If I could, I would marry you in this moment, for real." He says, his voice full of emotion and determination. I know he means every word.

I smile as I bite my lower lip. I feel my cheeks flush hotly and my skin is tingling. And then I am crying, happy tears. I think the words "Yes. Yes, my answer is yes!" stumble out of my mouth.

We kiss firmly, and suddenly Tobias has me pressed against the wall as he places his hands under my tush and lifts me up, forcing my legs to wrap around him. We both giggle as our kisses become playful and hard at the same time.

"Wait! We need to write our notes down – before the serum hits us. We can't risk it. We will hopefully have the rest of our lives to consummate our marriage." Tobias says while kissing my cheek and bringing over the marker.

We smile at each other, and I watch as he write Eaton to complete the sentence. He then writes that I am married to Tobias Eaton, our ages. He adds that we do not have children, and adds the word YET to it. And then he writes that we are happy. Nothing is perfect, but we are perfect for each other – flaws and all.

Tobias then hands me the marker, I write out his name on his arm, "Tobias 'Four' Eaton. Husband of Tris Eaton." I add the same message he had marked me with.

Once I am done I place the marker cap back on and smile at him. I see something flicker across his eyes.

"Tobias?" I ask.

He holds out his hand, asking for the marker. In his own hand, he begins to write on his other arm. "My mother is Evelyn Eaton-Johnson, she is not a good person. And she has never been what a mom should be, she is dangerous and I need to keep her away from me and my family."

I watch him silently as he finishes. My heart aches for him. I can't imagine how hard this must be.

"Tobias, I am sorry" I start. He pulls me into his arms and kisses my forehead.

"It doesn't matter, not now. I don't want to think about that woman these last moments. I don't know how long we have…" his hands suddenly slipping along my bare shoulder and slowly all the way down my arm as his eyes take in every inch of me.

I feel my pulse quicken and a sudden ache in my core. There is basket in the corner of the room that is full of blankets, we both rush to grab it and create a makeshift bed on the floor. And suddenly Tobias has laid down and is pulling me gently down to lay next to him.

Our eyes connect and we both smile, and commit our love to each other. Our first time is rushed and frantic, he knows what to do in order to get me across the finish line quickly. He follows quickly behind me.

We are officially married now he whispers in my ear. I smile as I feel him begin to trace small kisses down my body with the perfect destination in his sights.

I am well into my second release when I notice the memory serum that is now entering the storage closet. He immediately senses when I stiffen and comes back up to check on me

I nod my head so he can see what is happening.

"Do you want to stop and get dressed?" he asks me.

"Do you?" I ask curiously.

He smiles at me, kisses me and tells me "I can't think of a better way for the new us to start our lives together, there will be no question then."

I nod my head as we lay down side by side and resume our love making. This time we are joined side by side and holding each other as we unite as one. We go slowly, ensuring that our coupling will continue up until the serum hits us.

We have each other, and we have hope.

 **+o+++o+ The End +o+++o+**

 ** _Author's Note Update_ : I have gotten a couple of requests to continue this story. I also have an interest in seeing what happens to Tris and Tobias after the serum hits. I am going to finish my in-process story "Disremembered" and then outline ****_Memory Serum & Hope _and decide if it will be another one shot or a separate story. Thank you for the encouragement! **


	2. OS2:Camping & Roughing It: Part I of IV

**.**

 **.**

 **Story Title** **: Camping & Roughing It**

 **Chapter title** **: Part I of IV - Saturday, July 1st**

 **FOUR Part One-Shot**

 **++++++++++++o+++++++++++**

 **Short Story Plan** **:**

 **Part I of IV - Saturday, July 1st**

 **Part II of IV - Sunday, July 2nd**

 **Part III of IV - Monday, July 3rd**

 **Part IV of IV - Tuesday, July 4th**

 **++++++++++++o+++++++++++**

 **Story Title** **: Camping & Roughing It**

 **Chapter title** **: Part I of IV - Saturday, July 1st**

 ***Four POV***

"Zeke, No! No way are we making the same mistake again…all of your crap isn't going to fit into my truck!" I snap, while rummaging through the garage of the house we rent. Where the hell is my hiking backpack?

Zeke and I have been roommates since freshman year, and now here we are…five years later and I'm finishing my last year of graduate school. Zeke rolls his eyes at me. "Come on, Four! If we can fit all our stuff into your truck, then we won't have to take another car. Dude, I'll pay for gas."

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again…and expecting a different result. Take your insanity somewhere else," I growl, while waving my arms in the air. "There is no way that all of my camping gear, and Shauna's gear, and then _your_ gear will fit in my SUV. We tried it last summer remember?! How the hell do you forget loading the car, only to have to unload it and start over? You keep forgetting…one of us will need to sit in the back seat and wear a seatbelt."

Zekes face falls, "Oh, yeah... I guess Shauna will need an actual seat. This sucks. I just feel bad you have to drive alone, man."

I shrug my shoulders, dismissing his concerns, finding my backpack under some fishing gear. Whew!

I'm fine with being alone.

Better than fine. I'm so much better after breaking up with Nita a month and a half ago.

A couple of months before that, my girlfriend of a year started dropping hints about marriage.

Soon those hints became conversations about marriage.

After that, conversations became debates.

A little later, the debates became demands for an engagement ring, even telling me her ring size and diamond cut preference of princess.

All of this while I was telling her…I was nowhere near ready to get married. I even told her that I wasn't sure if I would _ever_ want to get married. _Ever._ Didn't faze her one bit.

I never misled her. I was honest with her from day one of dating. Nita was the one that tried to change the rules.

 _Then one day she was honest with me._

She was so distressed about my lack of commitment, that there had been an "accident".

I _guess_ falling into bed naked with your high school sweetheart and having sex all weekend long could be considered an accident.

An accident to me is more like spilling your coffee, or dropping your cell phone in the toilet. But what the hell do I know?

I shake my head remembering our last fight...our last _anything._ Nita had just returned from a long weekend in her hometown of Colorado Springs.

The Springs is a little less than a two hour drive from Boulder, where we are both graduate students at University of Colorado. Different departments, thank God. I hope to never see her this coming semester; Nita studying in the Leeds School of Business, me in the Integrative Physiology department.

She came straight over to our house and basically told my roommates to _leave their home_ since we needed privacy to talk.

Who does that?

The request was so outrageous that Zeke and Uriah decided to hightail it out of there. Zeke later telling me that they spent an hour at the bar speculating what her latest problem was. The two front runners were pregnancy or a brain tumor, joking that both would explain her erratic behavior.

Thankfully it was neither.

Nita actually thought that confessing would motivate me to move forward and 'finally' propose. I asked her if she was high or just insane.

We were over right then and there. The best part? _She_ was mad at _me_! She literally just had another dude on top of her less than 10 hours earlier…but somehow I was the bad guy.

Good riddance.

"Thinking about Nita?" Zeke chuckles.

"How can you tell?"

Zeke starts laughing deeply, "Whenever you think about the breakup you get this goofy smile on your face. Like you just won the damn lottery."

I just laugh and remind him I _did_.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Zeke's watching me closely, deep in thought.

"What?" I finally ask.

"What about that girl you have been crushing on for almost a year?" Zeke asks, clearing his throat. "You gotta ask her out."

Rolling my eyes I shake my head to say no.

"Why not, Four?" Zeke scoffs. "She isn't your student anymore! Plus, you are a Teaching Assistant. It's not like you were her actual professor."

"Zeke…seriously. Just stop. There are so many reasons why that's not going to happen," I snap, continuing to pack. I hate packing for a camping trip. Loathe it, even. The sooner I'm packed up, the sooner I can get to bed. We're heading out really early tomorrow.

"Go on, list your reasons," Zeke urges. "I'd love to hear this. Because you and I both know the truth. You may have been dating Nita, but you always had that student in the back of your mind."

"Fine – here goes! One: she was a student in my class and I just don't go there. Those girls are like vultures, I can't even imagine dating one. No way...not gonna happen."

Zeke snickers remembering the one student that sent me her silk thong through intercampus mail with an invitation to her apartment that night. Sending it to my office... that four graduate assistants share. Opening that gem in front of my peers was a moment I'll never forget. Right up there with turning her down and then having to see her in class three times a week that semester.

Once Zeke is done laughing he resumes his pitch, "Life is short man. And she will be a senior next year, right?"

"Yeah," I mumble.

"So your teaching assignment next year, it's the lower level Integrative Physiology classes. Unless she failed one of them and needs to repeat it, you won't be her teacher ever again. What's the problem?" Zeke continues.

"Of course she didn't fail, she's wicked smart. She got an A in all my classes last year. But…reason two: she's got a boyfriend." I say gruffly while Zeke rolls his eyes motioning for me to continue.

"Finally the most important reason, she wasn't into me…like at all," I say. "She was polite and respectful, but never once flirted with me. I had a few students with crushes, some were very sweet and some were incredibly aggressive. It was just obvious I wasn't even on her radar."

Zeke frowns while raising his hands in defeat. Good, I don't want to talk about this anymore.

Zeke moves his truck back to the front of the house. It's a two seater, impossible for three of us to ride comfortably in the cabin. Especially for a two hour drive to the Rocky Mountain National Park.

I do a final check of all the gear and supplies I'll need for this big Fourth of July holiday weekend camping trip. I rub my hands together preparing to fit it all into my SUV.

I can admit I am a little OCD…I like things to be a certain way, when possible. Or maybe my father just successfully beat it into me after all those years under his thumb.

That is another time I won the damn lottery: when I successfully cut all ties with my abusive father, Marcus Eaton.

I worked my ass off during my undergrad years at CU, and it paid off after a while. Through my relationships with faculty and my academic record, I was offered a teaching graduate assistant position that paid for all of my master's degree and even a stipend for housing and cost of living.

I push thoughts of Marcus out of my mind now.

That is the past, I have moved forward.

 **++o++**

An hour later we're still packing the cars while enjoying pizza and beer. Uriah, who is Zeke's younger brother, just got home from work and still needs to get organized before packing his girlfriend's SUV with their stuff. I'm looking forward to this weekend with my friends. I'll enjoy camping once I'm there, but it is such a pain in the ass to get ready and then set up. But it's worth it.

I cringe remembering that it'll be me alone with three other couples. _How fun_. At least I'll have my own tent. Nita and I were together when we planned this weekend many months ago.

Actually, my friends are pretty awesome. I'd rather be the single, odd man out, then there with the wrong girl on my arm.

We have an awesome group for this weekend's adventure. Zeke's longtime girlfriend is Shauna, who is like a sister to me. Her actual younger sister, Lynn, is also coming. Lynn has a new girlfriend named Claire that will be joining us for the first time. She seems really cool, much better than the last girl Lynn dated. And then Uriah has been dating Marlene for a little under a year. I don't know her that well, but she seems like a sweetheart.

Zeke, Shauna and I graduated with our bachelor's degrees a year ago. Shauna is now working on her thesis in psychology while Zeke was beyond done with further education and has been working at a startup company in town. All the others will be starting their senior year this fall.

Shauna is a rock star, so organized. She reserved our car-camping sites months ago, the moment the RMNP website opened for summer reservations. She showed me on the online campsite map; we have four different lots that are close, but not too close. Our four lots share a large fire pit. The best part is that our pod of lots is the furthest one out, backing up to natural space. Shauna outdid herself this time.

As I'm loading my SUV, Zeke eyes the gear I laid out on the garage floor. "Four, how big is the tent you are packing? The six-person one...for only you? I can let you borrow my two-person one."

My chest immediately tightens, I'd be miserable, because of my claustrophobia, in a small tent.

"No, I like my big tent, but thank you." I say firmly. My tone ends that discussion.

"Well I guess you aren't taking Nita's sleeping bag then? I'm shocked she didn't take it with her." Zeke jokes while eying the spare bag.

Nita was so pissed when we broke up...that she even packed up some of the snacks she bought from our kitchen. Uriah is still convinced she swiped his full box of Lucky Charms.

"Ha! She probably forgot all about 'her' sleeping bag, or I'm sure she would have taken it. Besides, I paid for it as part of my camping collection. It's not like I bought it as a gift." I say while tossing the spare sleeping bag into the back of the garage. I'll put it away when I get back.

"I'm sorry you are stuck with only couples this weekend," Zeke says. "But to be honest, I'm glad you cut Nita loose. She was annoying as hell," he ends in a mumble.

"Well, she's gone now, it's completely over. I heard she started dating that guy the next week," I say. "Honestly, I'm happy for her. I don't have any hard feelings. I just hope that he can meet all her expectations in life. Princess-cut diamond and all!" I snicker, as Zeke spits out his water.

"Part of me feels like I should be worried about you, your woman stepping out on you and all. I then remember you never considered Nita as the real thing. Did you ever tell her you loved her? Did you ever _love_ her?"

"Nope. I did care for her of course, but love just didn't happen for me," I frown at the memory. "The funny thing is I don't think she even noticed I never once said it. That's how self-absorbed she was!"

"Come on, enough about Nita," I say. The Nita topic is draining. "Let's finish this up. I can't believe your brother hasn't even started loading their car yet. Let's offer to help."

Zeke nods as we enter the house to check on Uri.

As I trudge towards Uri's room I think about _her_ warm smile and bright eyes. She's beautiful, but it's not about that. The University of Colorado has tons of beautiful girls. There's something about _this girl_ that has captivated me from the moment I met her. She's kind, smart, and when she looks at me…it is as though she is staring right into my soul.

Her name is Beatrice, but all her friends call her Tris.

 **++o+ Chapter End +o++**

 _Author's Note:_

 _Thank you for reading, part II will be posted tomorrow!_

 _~ FourTrisHEA_

 **+o++ +o++ +o++** **+o++**


	3. OS2:Camping & Roughing It: Part II of IV

**.**

 **.**

 **Story Title :** **Camping & Roughing It**

 **Chapter title** **: Camping: Part II of IV - Sunday, July 2nd**

 **FOUR Part One-Shot**

 **++++++++++++o+++++++++++**

 **Short Story Plan** **:**

 **Part I of IV - Saturday, July 1st**

 **Part II of IV - Sunday, July 2nd**

 **Part III of IV - Monday, July 3rd**

 **Part IV of IV - Tuesday, July 4th**

 **++++++++++++o+++++++++++**

 **Story Title:** **Camping & Roughing It**

 **Chapter title** **: Camping: Part II of IV - Sunday, July 2nd**

 ***Four POV***

Looking in the rearview mirror, I smirk at Shauna's dog that's sitting in the backseat. The dog is literally wearing a special doggy-seatbelt. Shauna was very careful to make sure it was situated correctly when she insisted I bring Roja in my car for the drive to Rocky Mountain National Park so I wouldn't be _alone._

Roja is a yellow goldendoodle and very well-trained. Zeke quietly mumbled to Shauna that I just got rid of one bitch, no need for another so soon. She smacked him for that one, chastising him for insulting Roja.

The drive isn't that far, but man, it has been slow. Driving into the mountains on a holiday weekend may be the equivalent of hell on earth.

As we get closer to the entrance of the park, we make sure to get our vehicles in a line with Zeke and Shauna at the front. She has all of our reservation information for the Aspenglen campgrounds. Our campground's entrance has decent amenities, such as bathrooms and even showers.

RMNP has everything from campgrounds deep in the mountains you can only hike to, having to make do with what you can carry, versus the drive-RV campgrounds that offer electricity plugins. We are going middle of the road with drive-in camping, which is my personal favorite. If I was hiking and carrying my gear, there is no way I'd have my six-person tent. I have done hike-in a couple of times and didn't enjoy it. I prefer to car camp and then go on hikes during the day. I'm really looking forward to the hikes we planned for tomorrow and the next day.

The lot Shauna reserved is huge. I drive straight to the furthest tent pad, my home for the next three nights. Our tent pads are spread out far enough for at least some privacy. Of course if someone is screaming at the top of their lungs during a romantic moment, we would all know what was going on in an instant.

I get to work setting up my large tent. Roja's such a friendly dog, she quickly visits the four tent pads for our group and then does a few rounds as she checks on all of us while we set up our gear. I unload all of the gear that I plan to keep in the tent. I have a huge cooler so I can store some drinks and snacks, and making sure it stays closed as not to risk attracting bears. Even food that is trash can't be left out.

My car is now back at the spots by our large fire pit.

"Guys, I'm off to check on Hector and his buddies," Shauna calls. "They have a site down the way. Anyone want to come with?"

Hector is Shauna and Lynn's younger brother, a group of his high school friends are also up here this weekend for their own camping trip. Shauna helped them reserve their spots too.

"I'm in," I smile as everyone nods, we're all going. I want to take a look around before it gets dark.

"Maybe we will come across a group of single ladies, and we can pick one out for Four!" Uriah teases. Marlene slaps him on the arm and tells him to stop.

"What? I'm serious. A gaggle of women, they may need his help setting up their tent, starting their fire…cooking their hotdogs," Uriah finally starts snickering. Zeke just shakes his head laughing.

"Shut it, Uri! I'm not here looking for a girl, I'm just here to enjoy camping," I roll my eyes at him. He is such an ass, but even I'll admit he's pretty funny.

It's a good walk, as we stop to chat with different groups of people we meet. The nice thing about camping, most people are really friendly and helpful. I meet one really friendly girl that isn't hiding her interest in _me._ Her name is Lauren, and she pouts when I turn down her offer to go for a walk after dinner. I have to peel her hands off me to say goodbye. Uri and Zeke just shake their heads while saying nothing.

Shauna makes sure to keep Roja on leash while we are walking on the main path because there are lots of dogs here this weekend. We hit the bathrooms at the entrance. Not a short walk by any means, but worth it for a toilet and shower when needed. Hector and his best friend wanted to walk with us to kill some time before dinner. The fourth falls on Tuesday this year, our gang decided three nights was enough, we drive out Wednesday morning. We are hiking Bear Lake to Bierstadt Lake tomorrow, then the Ouzel Falls on Tuesday.

 **++o++**

We're planning a feast for dinner and will build our fire then. The girls suggest a drinking game of "Never Have I Ever" to kill the time. I hate that game, but I cringe at how excited the girls are so I just agree. The questions can get so personal, and I don't like to share my life with others. This game is basically my worst nightmare. We set up our camping chairs around the pit even though it isn't lit yet.

"Ok! We all know the rules," Zeke declares. "No excuses to not answer. We are all friends here. When it's your turn, you make a statement about something you've never done before, in hopes that others have. They have to take a drink and you don't. But if you come up with one that no one has done – then you have to take the shot." Zeke gets the bottle of vodka and small plastic cups out for the game.

We all agree that we don't want to get drunk right now, so as soon as someone hits four shots - or they bow out sooner, of course - they are one of the losers. The first two that lose will handle dinner and clean up tonight.

Uriah insists on going first. He absolutely loves this game because he's such an open book.

"Never have I ever…had sex with a man!" Uriah shouts, lifting up his shot glass.

Shauna and Marlene groan as they are forced to drink. Lynn has a good chuckle as she doesn't have to. Although her eyes almost pop out of her head when her new girlfriend takes her shot. I avert my eyes from the sudden tension between Lynn and Claire, already hating this awful game.

We go a few more rounds, and thankfully we are keeping it civil. The game is almost over since we agreed to stop when we had two losers. Claire lost first, and now Marlene and Zeke are each one shot away from losing.

It's Uriah's turn, and his girlfriend and brother each give him a look. He'd know which question to ask in order to make one lose and the other stay safe.

"Remember where you are sleeping tonight, dear." Marlene jokes.

"Please, as if you're gonna be able to resist me," he teases back, her cheeks flushing as she can't keep the huge grin off her face.

"I'm going to be fair to my woman and my brother," Uriah says. "I'm asking a question I honestly don't know the answer to for any of you."

I think Uriah is a smart man for deciding to play it safe. Zeke knows how to screw with him when he is annoyed, and I have a feeling Marlene would not have taken kindly to his take down in the game.

"Never Have I Ever had real romantic feelings for someone who was my teacher or my student!" Uriah challenges.

I can feel the flame in my cheeks as Zeke raises his eyebrows, challenging me to be honest.

Damn it.

I down my shot.

Shauna and Marlene squeal and demand details when they see I had a drink, but I tell them hell no. Then Zeke throws me under the bus.

"Girls, Four doesn't want to talk about it because he is still in love with this girl," Zeke says.

I'm going to kill him, literally. I fling my empty cup at him as he laughs and shrugs.

Marlene happily took her losing shot, meaning she and Claire will be in charge of tonight's dinner. The game now forgotten, all attention falls on me.

"Four, we love you and we need to know everything. _Everything,_ " Shauna demands. She looks offended that Zeke knew about it before she did. I wish I had told her instead of Zeke with his big-ass mouth.

After a couple of minutes of their badgering I swear them to secrecy, which they all agree.

"Last year there was a student in a couple of the classes I taught," I start. "Obviously I was with Nita, and this girl had a boyfriend, so absolutely nothing ever happened."

"This story is boring as hell," Uriah interrupts.

Shauna hisses at him to shut up and let me finish. She knows me well, she can tell this girl means a lot to me. She nods for me to continue.

"Well, she's beautiful, but…I just…I can't explain it," I shrug my shoulders. "It's so much more than her looks that pull me in. I had so many pretty girls in class, and some chased me relentlessly but not her, she wasn't at all interested," I laugh at myself, "She is just the most amazing girl in every way, and I'm crazy about her. There was something about Tris that made me—"

"What?" Uriah and Marlene yell at the same time, while sharing a look between them.

"Tris Prior?" Marlene asks excitedly.

Holy shit… _of course out of twenty-five thousand undergraduate students_ , Uri and Marlene would know Tris.

I groan, rubbing my temples to relieve the sudden throbbing between my ears.

"If it's the same girl, we love Tris," Marlene smiles at me. "She is super nice, funny and really pretty. She has a good heart too. I've known her since freshman year when she and I were on the same dorm floor."

"Yeah…Tris Prior," I give in with a nod.

"I've known her asshole boyfriend since my freshman year, and that guy is a nasty piece of work," Uriah interjects. "I'd even say he has a real issue with drinking - always losing control. I heard Tris started dating Peter a few months back, but she definitely settled." It's obvious Uriah has strong feelings about this guy.

Marlene is nodding her head in agreement while frowning.

"Guys, it's not a big deal," I sigh. " I won't even see her anymore. The classes I'm teaching this fall are ones she's taken already. Aside from having a boyfriend, she doesn't even know I exist, aside from being her teaching assistant."

Everyone is quiet, as there's not much more to say.

 **++o++**

I've been hiking for twenty minutes now, and Roja stays by my side the entire time. I'm holding her leash with no tension as the dog stays close. Looking at my watch, I know I'll need to turn back in another ten minutes at most. I want to make it back before dark.

The _festivities_ should be over by then.

Everyone wanted a "nap" after dinner. Nap was obviously code for wanting to be alone in their tents for romantic time. I don't know what it is about camping and people getting frisky.

When dark our plan is fire pit and s'mores. Nights around the fire pit with friends is my favorite part of camping.

I drop Roja's leash for a moment while I twist open the lid of my water canteen. Suddenly she's off! Barking and running away, deeper and deeper into the mountains.

Oh shit! Shauna will have my balls if anything happens to that dog. I've never seen Roja do that. I don't even bother to close my water canteen, I drop the canteen and chase her. Logically she should be fine, but I don't want to risk her getting hurt or running into any wildlife.

I finally catch up to her and see that she barking happily and licking the hands of a young woman that has her back to me. At first glance, I see it's a hiker because of her backpack gear and outfit. Suddenly Roja runs a circle around the hiker, and I see the dog's leash gets caught in her feet. I sprint over and reach my hands out to help steady her as she topples over. I manage to catch her before she hits the ground. She gasps in fright because I didn't announce myself.

I'm suddenly staring into the most intense, beautiful eyes. My heart beats a mile a minute.

 **++o++**

"Tris?" I gasp.

"Four?" she exclaims, a look of relief crossing her face. "Four Eaton! When I felt a man's hands on me, I thought for sure I was going to end up being fodder for a future _Criminal Minds_ episode," Tris gasps and laughs at the same time.

Her relief and delight is contagious as I nod and smile at her. We both look over at Roja, who is now just standing there watching us.

When I look back at Tris this time, I notice tear streaks down her cheeks. Her face has some dust making it easy to see. She is smiling now, but it dawns on me that she is alone in the middle of the Rocky Mountain National Forest and it's going to be dark in less than thirty minutes. What the hell is going on?

"Tris, are you okay?" I hold my breath, waiting for her response.

She bites her lower lip while lowering her eyes, obviously still upset. Finally she answers.

"I'm okay. It's just been a shitty couple of days. But things are getting better," she ends with a smile.

I nod, although I'm certain she is holding something back.

"Are you set up in the Aspenglen campgrounds? It's getting dark soon, let me walk you back," I offer. Something doesn't feel right, but I also know I can't force someone to confide in me. "I'm also a good listener if you want to talk about it."

Tris stands in front of me, her hand now absentmindedly patting the top of Roja's head in a soothing way.

Our eyes meet.

"Ok, here goes - the thirty second version. Actually, I'll probably need a full minute," she says. She shakes her head and releasing air from her chest.

I smile at her and wait.

"I was hike-in camping with my boyfriend and his friends, a few hours walk to the west." Tris waves her hand in the direction. "I shouldn't have come. My now ex-boyfriend, his name is Peter, we've been having problems for a while. I just thought I would try one more time."

Tris frowns and shakes her head.

"Last night was the final straw for me. Peter got wasted and was completely out of control," she confides.

My stomach drops.

"Are you okay? If something happened, we need to get you—" I start.

"Four, no. That's not where this story is going. Thank God," she falters.

I nod with relief. I was worried for a moment.

"Sorry, I won't interrupt again, go on please," I say.

"He can be such a nasty drunk, and it just seemed to be getting worse and worse," she says. "I knew pretty early yesterday that we were done, but I didn't have my car at the main lot. I just had to stick it out for the camping trip and get home. But there was no way in hell I was going to fool around with him. Well that didn't go over so well," Tris rolls her eyes.

"He just kept drinking, so I decided I was better off sleeping by the campfire than his tent," she continues. "He broke up with me last night, which was a relief. I knew I had to leave. I was not going to survive another three nights there. His entire group of friends are so twisted. I had my own gear I hiked in with, so I just packed it up, left a note reiterating we were done and I was out. I left at first light this morning."

Tris and I stare at each other, I'm not sure if she's done until she raises her eyebrows at me. She can probably tell I'm busting at the seams with questions.

"Wow, that's awful. First, I'm glad you're okay. But what was your plan for tonight?" I ask curiously. I had no idea Tris was so resourceful and brave.

"Hiking in this direction got me close to the large campsites, which meant another night under the stars, but I'll have people close enough." Tris shrugs. "I've done a lot of hiking and orienteering over the years."

"Come on, let's start walking back," I nod, remembering it's going to be dark soon. "I actually have a water canteen I dropped when Roja ran off into the woods."

Tris laughs.

Roja wags her tail as Tris comes with us. I'm also happy we found Tris.

I know what I need to do.

"Tris, you're staying with my group now, there is no way in hell I'm letting you sleep out in the open with not real camp site, or a tent," I insist. Our elbows rub together as we walk side by side.

"No Four, but thank you," Tris grins at me. "I do appreciate the offer."

What the hell?

"Tris..." I'm genuinely confused.

"You're here with your friends. I'm not gonna impose. I'm sticking to my plan A," she says stubbornly. She is infuriating.

"Do you even have food or water?" I ask.

She laughs at me, and assures me she packed enough water that she is conserving and she has meal replacement bars to tide her over.

"Four, I swear I'm an experienced hiker," she says. "I wasn't taking that big of a risk since I know this area pretty well."

"Great, when you're hanging out with me and my friends you can share your expertise with us. I promise it's a great group, everyone in my group studies at CU. They'll welcome you with open arms," I state firmly, hoping she will take me up on the offer. Of course I'm happy to see her, but more than anything, I want her safe.

Tris seems to be thinking it over as we walk towards the campsite.

"Won't your girlfriend have a problem with all this?" she asks, looking straight ahead.

A small smile touches my lips, I never thought she would've noticed anything about me.

"How'd you know I had a girlfriend?" I ask.

Tris tells me how there were numerous girls from class that were obsessed with me. My having a girlfriend caused them a lot of angst. Tris chuckles over the memory.

I smile back at her, even though I suddenly feel let down. I can tell she's not into me, while I've been pining for her.

"Had?" Tris says quietly as we walk in silence.

"Huh?" I reply, I had gotten lost in my moment of self-pity.

"You said had a girlfriend - as in no more?" Tris clears her throat.

I rub the back of my neck, not really wanting to get into the subject of Nita.

"I'm single now," I confess. "My ex and I broke up before the semester ended, almost two months ago."

Tris is quiet for a moment as I rub my neck nervously. I wish she'd say something.

"You were back on the market while classes were still in session?" she teased. "Why didn't you let your adoring fans know? I can think of at least four girls that would have partaken in cage-fight to win a date with you."

I would've been flattered, if Tris wasn't hysterically laughing over the thought. She suddenly gets serious.

"Sorry, that was rude," she says. "Are you…um…how are you doing with the breakup?"

With a huge smile I assure her I'm better than okay. We were never a good match. Tris nods with understanding.

As I am racking my brain thinking of a way to get Tris to join our group, Roja runs around us and then begins licking Tris's hands and barking with joy.

"See, even Roja wants you to stay with us. Just one night at least," I push.

"And you're sure your friends aren't going to mind?" Tris says nervously, biting the inside of her cheek.

Our earlier game of Never Have I Ever flashes through my mind. Everyone now knows I really like Tris, and now she'll be joining us. I quickly push my worries aside because her safety is more important than my embarrassment. I just hope my friends don't humiliate me.

"My friends are great, they would insist you join our group. No isolated camping for you tonight," I argue.

"Why are you hiking alone? No one wanted to go with you?" Tris smiles.

I better warn her now, rolling my eyes I tell her I'm here with three couples who are all deliriously happy. She wrinkles her nose in disgust, which makes me bellow with laughter.

"So they all wanted 'alone time' after dinner," I emphasize the words "alone time", our eyes meet and we both make gagging sounds.

"In that case, it's a good thing Roja found me—we can hate on the happy couples together," she jokes, her eyes bright.

Things are looking up.

 **++o++**

The campfire is going strong, everyone is talking and joking around when we walk up to the fire.

"Four, you're back! We were about to send out a search party," Zeke jokes before seeing Tris.

She's practically hiding behind me. She seems nervous, maybe she is still worried about overstepping.

"This is Tris, she's one of my former students," I say. "It's a long story, but she's in a bind so I invited her join our group."

My eyes and tone plead with them to play it cool, and I hope Tris doesn't notice.

Mouths drop open at the irony, but everyone is cool. No one lets it slip we were just talking about her earlier.

"Oh my God, Tris Prior!" Marlene squeals as she and Uriah walk over to embrace Tris.

Tris' smile is huge when she sees them.

"First Four, and now I'm running into you two? It's good to see you!" Tris says brightly ,while hugging them back.

Uriah takes the lead on introducing Tris to the rest of our group. Everyone is very warm to her, and they keep looking back at me. Lynn and Claire are all smiles, discreetly giving me a thumbs up over how cute Tris is. I can feel how red my face is, but I'm hoping the darkness is enough to hide it.

"Ok, so what's this bind Four vaguely mentioned? And how'd you two hook up? Spill," Uriah insists, while bringing over an extra camping chair so Tris can take a seat. He makes sure to put her chair right next to mine, winking at me.

"And you know I like a good story," Uriah urges, situating himself next to Marlene.

After Tris explained how Roja found her, she gives them a high-level about the break up with Peter, his drinking and needing to leave their camp. "Tris, I'm glad you're okay and with us now," Uriah interjects. "You deserve so much better than Peter. You need a real man, who will treat you right."

"Believe me, Peter and I are so done. I can't even describe the relief I felt when he dumped me!" she chuckles, while sitting in the chair next to me.

I've been quiet, feeling nervous and excited at the same time. I clear my throat uncertainly.

"I'm trying to convince Tris to just enjoy camping with our group," I say. " I was just about to tell her about the hike we are doing tomorrow."

Tris blushes and smiles at me, I can tell she wants to hang out with us, but maybe she's worried she's invading our camping trip.

Everyone assures her she is welcome, and we have more than enough supplies to share. Marlene demands that she at least do the hike with us tomorrow morning. Finally Tris agrees to stay, at least for tomorrow morning's Bear Lake hike.

"Thanks guys, this is awesome. Being able to sleep under the stars and know you guys are here will be huge for me," she says.

"Sleeping by the fire?" Zeke asks innocently. "Four has a huge tent, you should sleep with him." Uriah quickly walks away, unable to control his laughter.

Both Tris and I blush. I clear my throat and agree with Zeke.

"I was going to offer, but I wasn't sure how to word it without freaking you out," I stammer nervously while rubbing the back of my neck. Tris blushes and looks away from me.

"You guys are great, I'm really good right here. I did it last night, and I can do it again. Besides, it's nice to sleep under the stars," she insists. I hear the finality in her voice.

 **++o++**

We enjoy an evening around the fire, laughing and talking. We reheat some leftovers from dinner over the fire for Tris. The s'mores are delicious and the company is great. I steal glances at Tris when she isn't looking, she is gorgeous. Her blond hair is pulled up in a high ponytail, and the way her face lights up when she smiles warms my heart. Her laugh is contagious. I'm actually nervous around her because I'm not really sure what to say. Any romantic relationship I've ever had was me saying yes when pursued. Not that Tris and I are romantic at all, but I do want to get to know her better.

As we start prepping for bed, Tris starts setting up her sleeping bag next to the fire pit that is still burning but slowing down. It's a warm enough night to sleep under the stars. I quietly offer her my tent one more time, telling her I'm happy to sleep by the fire instead. Tris won't even consider it.

Zeke and Shauna share a look, as though agreeing to something.

"We could have the boys stay in Four's tent and we can have a girl's night in my tent," Shauna offers kindly.

"Yeah, Shauna already got lucky earlier so she should be okay until tomorrow," Zeke deadpans.

"Zeke!" she shrieks, obviously horrified. God, he is brave. Tris and I burst out laughing, unable to control ourselves. Tris takes a step closer and hides her face behind my arm. I can tell she feels bad for laughing at Shauna.

Once everyone is no longer laughing and Zeke has successfully pleaded for his life, Tris smiles and thanks us for the offer.

"I don't want to be a pain, I'm sleeping by the fire, and that's final. You guys have already done so much," Tris smiles. "And now I'm really sleepy so I need to hit the sack. Goodnight, guys." Everyone says goodnight and heads to their tents.

"Four, wait!" I feel Tris's hand on my forearm, causing warm feelings in my stomach.

Meeting her gaze, I'm rendered speechless and just nod.

Tris looks embarrassed.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is _thank you._ You're an amazing guy, I appreciate you're looking out for me," she says, her hand dropping from my arm as she takes a step back. "Goodnight, Four," she whispers.

"Goodnight, Tris," I gulp. "If anything happens, I'm in the far tent. Or just wake us all up, of course."

She smiles before turning back to the fire.

I can't stop thinking about her. I wish she was with me in the tent. I hate she is sleeping outside. I'd even be fine with her in my tent and me outside.

I'm exhausted but unable to sleep, tossing and turning for over an hour. When I can't take it any more, I quietly roll up my sleeping bag and walk to the fire pit. The embers are still burning, which shines some light on Tris. Roja lies next to her, immediately sitting up when she hears my approach.

"Roja, good dog," I quietly announce myself. Realizing I'm not a threat, the dog lays back down to sleep.

Tris looks peaceful while sound asleep, with her beautiful face so serene. How could any guy be so dumb to take her for granted? I lay my sleeping bag where I can see her, but not too close so it's not creepy. I frown, I feel like someone has pulled my heart out of my chest and slowly started squeezing it. I'm surprised at the strong desire I feel. I really like this girl, so much. Tris is gorgeous, funny, smart and kind.

I don't know who this Peter guy is, but he sounds like a complete idiot.

 **++o+ Chapter End +o++**

 **+o++ +o++ +o++ +o++ +o++**

 _Hi guys!_

 _Thank you for taking the time to read my story, means a lot to me._ _I hope you are enjoying it!_

 _Part III will be posted tomorrow._

 _xo, FourTrisHEA_

 **+o++ +o++ +o++ +o++ +o++**


	4. OS2:Camping & Roughing It:Part III of IV

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 **Story Title** **: Camping & Roughing It**

 **Chapter title** **: Part III of IV - Monday, July 3rd**

 **FOUR Part One-Shot**

 **++++++++++++o+++++++++++**

 **Short Story Plan** **:**

 **Part I of IV - Saturday, July 1st**

 **Part II of IV - Sunday, July 2nd**

 **Part III of IV - Monday, July 3rd**

 **Part IV of IV - Tuesday, July 4th**

 **++++++++++++o+++++++++++**

 **Chapter title** **: Part III of IV - Monday, July 3rd**

 ***Tris POV***

I'm pulled from sleep by a familiar sound I know too well, the bugling of elk. A smile touches my lips as I lie still and enjoy. The bugle of a bull elk is a distinct sound that begins deep and resonant, and becomes a high-pitched squeal before ending in a series of grunts. The herds of elk that roam the Rocky Mountains has always been one of my favorite parts of camping here.

I know once I open my eyes it will be time to start the day. Rising early is normal for camping, but I find myself waking up even earlier when not sleeping in a tent. I enjoy the noises around me and realize it must be super early, as I do not hear any of the usual hustle and bustle of large campgrounds.

I finally roll onto my back, slowly opening my eyes as they adjust to the sun. The morning is still cool, but I know the July heat will soon be here.

I really need a shower. Should I go now, or wait until someone from the group wakes up so I can tell them where I am? Decisions, decisions.

Lying still, I unexpectedly feel Roja's snout nudging my chin, silly dog! It was nice of Shauna to let her sleep with me last night, not that I worried, but having a guard dog is always nice

As I stretch out my arms, another sound catches my attention - soft coughing. I quickly turn to the left, and my mouth falls open. Sound asleep, Four lies on the other side of the fire pit. His sleeping bag positioned in a way that we can see each other's face and nothing more.

Why is he sleeping out here? For me?

Suddenly, I feel butterflies flying in my chest. I close my eyes to breathe in and out and push those feelings away.

 _He's amazing. But he's not for you._

Graduate student and teaching assistant Four Eaton is a well-known name in the Integrative Physiology department. Aside from his academic reputation, he's known for being an amazing teacher, having a great working relationship with the faculty. He's extremely smart and career driven - and lastly, he's the most handsome man I've ever laid eyes on in my life. It should be a sin for one man to look so damn good. Gazing at him as my eyes settle on his mouth, I fantasize about kissing him and how I'd bite his lower lip. I know I _shouldn't_ just sit here and ogle him, but when else would I have the chance to stare to my heart's content?

I had the biggest crush on Four when I first met him, when I was a student in two of his classes last fall. Just like dozens and dozens of other girls in my school who are crazy about him. As cute as he is, listening to them carry on and on about him grated on my nerves - to the point that I determined a crush on him was a waste of time and could not even be enjoyable. So I let it go and just put him out of my mind. I have this game where I'd pretend he was a married sixty-year-old-with eight grandchildren anytime I would talk to him.

He was consistent with his rejections of the numerous girls that pursued him. He wasn't cruel but he was direct. His rebuffs were always the same, "I don't date my students, so it's never going to happen. I am taken, ladies, sorry." And then he would go right back to the material he was covering that day. I was impressed at how calm and matter-of-fact he was, probably something learned after years and years of dishing out countless refusals.

Although one time he was so kind to me, that it still makes my heart do somersaults when I think about it.

 _ **++o+ Flashback +o++**_

 _I'm numb with grief. My grandpa's dead._

 _I desperately run through my to-do list because I must get it all done. My mom needs me, and I need to get home._

 _I glance at my watch as I'm walking quickly through campus, sporadic tears escaping my eyes as I trudge forward with my face down. I have one teacher left to speak to, and then I'm headed to the airport. I wrap my coat tightly around me, but nothing is helping fight the chill in my bones. It's the middle of February in Colorado._

 _I cringe when I think of Peter, my boyfriend._

 _How could he?_

 _I know Peter's disappointed that I'm flying to Chicago, but he offered not one kind or comforting word for me. He only hissed his displeasure regarding the Valentine's formal for the Leeds Business School because I've left him without a date._

" _Damn it, Tris! This will ruin my summer internship chances. You know I can't work for my father's company again. It's all about appearances," Peter grumbled. "Now I'll look like a loser who can't get a date."_

 _I found myself apologizing, and I was sorry but… my grandpa died. I didn't get to say goodbye. I loved him so much._

 _The United Airlines customer service rep that got me a seat flying direct from DIA to O'Hare offered me more comfort than my own boyfriend._

 _I shake my head, pushing thoughts of Peter away. I can't worry about him right now. This may be the end of us._

 _I wouldn't care._

 _I arrive to the Integrative Physiology main building and stop in a restroom on the first floor to splash water on my face so I don't look like a drowned rat. I knock on Four's office door, entering when I hear his voice. Although he shares the office with three other TAs, he sits alone at the moment._

 _I walk in and spit out my practiced explanation verbatim, ready to plead for a later makeup of the exam I'll be missing. Four's eyes study me, but he says nothing._

 _I stand still and wait. After a moment he nods with a small frown._

" _I'm sorry for your loss Tris," he says. "We'll figure out the test when you get back. Take this time with your family now."_

 _His hand slips into mine, his thumb gently tracing the small bones on the back of my hand. The small act of kindness broke through my walls. I turn away, trying to bite back my sobs, mumbling a thank you while yanking my hand away so I can leave quickly._

 _Four catches my hand again and pulls me to stand in front of him, a concerned look on his face. His other hand on my cheek, I realize my tears have started again as he wipes them away._

" _Tris, is there anything I can do?" he says quietly. I try to bite back the sobs and fail._

 _He pulls me into his arms and holds me while I sob. Suddenly I don't care about anything except my grief and being held by him. He rubs my back while my arms hold him tightly. I stand still, except for the sobs that make my shoulders shake, with my face buried in his chest. We stand that way for I don't know how long, and then I have to pull away. I wipe my tears before looking up, Four's hands still on my shoulders._

" _Thank you," I murmur, our eyes locked, mine still swimming with tears. "I've gotta go, now. My flight..."_

 _He swallows hard."Be brave, Tris."_

 _ **++o+ Flashback End +o++**_

Four clears his throat, snapping me out of my thoughts, my eyes meeting his instantly now that he's awake.

"Hey," he smiles.

"Good morning," I smile back, "Thank you for sleeping out here with me."

"Oh, I felt like giving it a try," he says, faltering a bit. "Not because I was worried about you, or anything like that."

His eyes now look around the campsite, anywhere but at me.

"Uh huh," I laugh at him while sitting up. He smiles at me and rolls his eyes.

"I'm dying for a shower, it's super early so there shouldn't be a line," I start. I'm about to ask him to tell the others if they wake before I return.

"I'd like one too, let's go," he responds.

 **+++o+++**

It was a far walk to the entrance of the grounds, and we walked quietly as most people were sleeping.

I gasp seeing the shampoo-conditioner bottle he has, one of the joys of car camping. He chuckles when I jump up and down with joy. I hate when my hair is oily, it drives me nuts. He even has an extra towel I can use, that's not something I packed for hiking. The showers are unisex, but we agree neither of us want any surprises. We'll take turns and the other person will stand guard. I tell him to go first, as I need to still organize my clothes in my pack.

"Four, let me know when you're coming out. I am just going to wrap myself in this huge bedspread you call a towel and only bring in my clean clothes," I call, while moving behind a wall for privacy as I quickly strip out of my dirty clothes.

"Bedspread size, huh? Do they make special towels for especially tiny women?" he snickers at me.

"Shut up," I snap while laughing.

The water turns off and I imagine him drying off with his towel. Stop, Tris. I push those thoughts out of my head. I wish he'd come out in a towel….

"Tris?" he calls.

"What?" I say.

"Make sure you're decent, I'm coming out," he says.

"I'm ready," I say, as we slip past each other in the narrow hallway. The hallway is so narrow our bodies awkwardly brush against one another as we move past.

Four glances away from me, the tips of his ears flaming red. I wonder what happened.

"I'll be quick, I promise," I say, once I'm in the shower stall and hanging my towel and clean clothes on the far door.

"Take your time," he says, but his voice sounds strained.

I don't want to hold up breakfast, and we still have to walk back to camp, so I rush through my shower, only taking time to concentrate on scrubbing my hair.

Suddenly I hear a woman's voice right outside the shower door. I can't _not_ hear them.

 **Woman:** Hey Four, you look nice and clean.

 **Four:** Um, hi. Yes,well. A shower tends to do that to a person.

 **Women:** My friends are still sleeping. Come back to my tent, we'll have some alone time.

 **Four:** (Silence. An uncomfortably long silence.)

 _Oh my God, are they already fooling around? Maybe he just walked off with her?_

 **Woman:** Why so shocked, Four? Come on, I know you were checking me out yesterday. Let's have some fun. There's so much I can-

I've never gotten dressed so fast in my life! I roll up my towel, tucking it under my arm and opening the stall door without raising my eyes, afraid of what I'll see.

"Excuse me," I interrupt.

Out of morbid curiosity, I steal one glance at _the voice._ Damn, she's gorgeous. Who the hell looks that good when camping? This chick, that's who.

"Tris…um…" Four stammers, he sounds stunned.

Without looking at anyone, I swiftly grab my backpack off the floor and walk out of the showers area while prattling away.

"I'll find my way back," I say. "Bye guys!" I cringe at how awkward that was, and how stupid I just sounded. I shake my head, it never ends with this guy.

Once I've put in a good amount of distance between myself and the showers, I laugh to myself. It's class all over again. I get it...he is really handsome, like weak-in-the-knees hot. I don't know what went down with his ex, but I don't envy her. She probably had to beat women off with a stick! Who'd want to deal with that shit every day?

Not me.

"Hey!" Four grabs my elbow and stops me. "Why'd you leave like that?"

Is he joking? I look at him, confused.

"You looked busy," I respond.

Four frowns, releasing my elbow as we both resume walking to camp.

"I just met that girl yester-" he starts. I can hear the embarrassment in his voice.

"It's not my business. You don't need to explain," I shrug my shoulders and smile at him. "Just drop it."

It really has nothing to do with me, I'm just relieved they didn't start hooking up right outside my shower.

"Okay, got it," he frowns.

I shrug my shoulders and chuckle at him, now that I'm not trapped in a bathroom, afraid they were gonna get it on two feet from me. It's at least a little funny.

"I'm starved, I want to offer to cook too," I say seriously. "Let's hurry."

I'm eating all their food, the least I can do is all the grunt work. I still feel guilty.

Four nods, still frowning. I hope he didn't pass up on tent sex because he thought I shouldn't go back to camp alone without him, since I'm not really part of the group.

We walk in silence, but it feels a little uncomfortable - awkward, even. I start planning ways to get out of the Bear Like hike. I'm starting to feel like a third wheel. I just want to go home.

It's early and this is a busy campsite, I'm sure _someone_ could give me a ride out of the park. One of my friends would be willing to come get me from Estes Park. Christina is going to have a fit when she hears what went down with Peter, and I can already hear her "I told you so." And she'd have every right to say it, she did tell me to drop him. I should've listened to her.

It'd be even better if I could catch a ride with someone heading to Boulder.

"Tris, just wait. I want to talk for a minute." he says, his hand slipping into mine, and then leading us towards the side of the main path. What's he doing?

I look at him curiously and smile. He can't possibly be mad at me, right? I didn't tell him he should leave that chick behind. I force a smile and wait for him to talk.

He drops my hand and runs his fingers through his hair. He seems flustered. Once he looks at me, locking eyes, I feel a small flip in my chest, and it's not from fear of him being mad. I want to drag him into a tent myself!

Stop it, Tris!

"I get you don't care, but Lauren is a girl I met for three minutes yesterday, and I was just stunned at how forward she was," he says. "And of course I knew you'd hear her. I was caught off guard," Four frowns. He's now staring intently at me.

I fight the urge to squirm. Should I apologize for something? I could just try to say a general sorry. Like an umbrella apology to cover everything and anything.

He slowly releases the breath he's been holding and chuckles nervously.

"I'm sorry if I somehow ruined your moment—" I clear my throat.

He frowns again, which is not what I was expecting. Why do I feel like I'm making things worse?

"If I wanted to screw her, I would've done it yesterday. You didn't ruin anything," he states matter-of-factly.

I bite the inside of my cheek and ignore the warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach.

"Okay, got it," I smile and nod. As we start walking back to camp, I knock my shoulder into his and tease him. "It must be so hard having pretty girls throwing themselves at you! Poor guy, what a difficult life you live."

He shakes his head, dismissing my joking comments. He does smile though. I smile too, as I push away the pang of jealously I feel.

Ugh, stop. I'm being silly.

 **++o++**

I'm so excited to do this hike. I've gone around Bear Lake countless times, which is awesome, but I've never hiked from Bear Lake to Bierstadt Lake. All Peter and his band of misfits wanted to do was sit around all day drinking.

Our group walks to the front of Aspenglen to catch the shuttle service, it runs through a loop of the entire park and will drop you off so you can do a day trip, and then take the shuttle back when you're ready.

As we board the bus, I notice that the couples sit together, Roja lying on the floor between their seats.

"Tris, let's sit here," Four's breath tickles the back of my neck, sending chills down my back. I didn't realize he was standing so close to me.

I turn to look at him, we are just inches apart. I gulp and nod. Once we're sitting in the seat our arms and knees touch, these shuttles are not designed for comfort. He feels so warm next to me. I control my urge to lean into him.

We disembark the bus at Bear Lake. Good weather is predicted for the afternoon so we all packed light. We plan to eat lunch out here, so we have our food and water too.

"Guys, let's do a loop around the lake before we start, okay?" Shauna asks.

"I want to warm up too, before the off-path hike. Around the lake will be perfect." Lynn says.

We all quickly agree and start our walk around Bear Lake. It's obvious quickly who the couples are. Bear Lake has a well-established path around it, but it's usually two people side by side - which leaves me and Four walking together. We both roll our eyes at all the happiness around us.

Uriah slips his hand up the back of Mar's shirt to guide her around someone, and I almost gag.

"You look like you are about to hurl," Four quietly teases.

"That obvious?" smiling back at him, I nudge him with my shoulder. He chuckles and puts his arm around me for a moment. He then frowns and pulls me back a little from the group before we keep walking.

"It didn't occur to me that you and Peter broke up like five minutes ago. Is it hard for you to be around all this happiness and sappy crap?" Four asks me seriously. He looks genuinely concerned.

Could he be any nicer?

I think it through before answering him, I want to be honest with him. "Peter and I were together a few months, and things were never really right. If what we had was 'good' then I would just give up and go the convent now."

Four chuckles and mumbles something along the lines of "That'd be a waste." We are walking again, we've fallen behind the group by a few yards so we can speak privately.

"You're sweet, thank you for that," I say as our eyes meet, for a moment I forget where I am. Am I imagining this? The way he looks at me…it feels…

 _Yes. It's your imagination. Get over yourself, Tris._

"My parents have this amazing marriage and partnership," I continue. "The most important advice my mom gave me was that it shouldn't be 'that' hard."

I see Four's brow furrow as we walk along, but he is looking straight ahead.

I slip my hand in his to get his attention. He seems startled for a moment and then smiles at me, his grip on my hand tightening.

"I'm not doing a good job explaining this. My mom didn't mean that relationships are all roses, believe me, my parents have had issues - but they got through it together. But she wanted me to learn that dating, is just that… dating." I pull my hand away to nervously wring my hands, why am I telling _Four_ all of this? "I just realize that things with Peter were hard from day one. But he had this way of pulling me back in, with his best behavior bullshit."

Four frowns, and then he opens and closes his mouth as though he wanted to say something.

"So after all of that blabber…to answer your question, it's not hard hanging with you guys, happy couples and all. I accepted a while ago that Peter was not the right guy for me. I just made the poor choice of staying as long as I did. But no, I don't feel sad or yearn for him. Or anything like that," I smile at him, "Hopefully that doesn't make me sound like a heartless bitch…since we broke up five minutes ago."

"Not at all, thank you for talking to me about that," Four laughs. "My parents…well, my mom died when I was nine," I feel my stomach drop with sadness. He was just a kid, that's awful. I nod to show him I'm listening. "Even though I lost her so young, I vividly remember what a God-awful marriage my parents had. I'm glad you had a good example."

I give him a sideways glance, he has a dark look on his face. Ttime I grab him, I give his hand a firm squeeze. He doesn't look at me, but I see a huge grin on his face.

"What's your story with the now ex-girlfriend?" I ask cautiously, afraid I'm being too nosy. My worry washes away when Four starts laughing.

"That bad?" I ask, raising my eyebrows.

"Probably even worse than you're imagining!" Four laughs.

"Worse than a belligerent drunk boyfriend that couldn't deliver 95% of the time because he'd blackout drunk, but then decides a public romp at a camp site is what he wants?" I scowl, remembering Peter's pressure the night we broke up. Wait, did I just say that? Damn it, why did I just admit to Four how _pathetic_ my sex life was? What the hell is wrong with me?

Four's eyes are dark for a moment and my cheeks flush. "Sorry, TMI," I mumble.

"Tris, you can tell me anything. Never feel like you have to hold back with me." He says firmly, and I believe him. I blush and smile.

Four then tells me that his story is worse. He gets me up to speed with his ex, named Nita. I'm laughing hysterically as he explains her antics to get engaged.

"You have to be lying, or at least exaggerating," I say between peals of laughter. "She did not do that!" I actually have to stop to grab my side as I am getting cramps from laughing. At this point we are really far behind our group. Neither of us seem to care.

"Are you tired already? Do you need me to carry you?" Four teases as he scoops me up and carries me. "I thought you would be in better shape."

I wrap my arms around his neck to steady myself.

"I can walk, but I need to you stop exaggerating about Nita," I say. "She did not log in to your online checking account to figure out how much money you had available to spend on a diamond."

I can't even say it without laughing. That would be crazy!

"On my life, Tris! I didn't figure it out until the breakup argument," Four explains. "She let it slip that she knew I wasn't serious about her ring because I had just spent $637.42 on a white water rafting trip. She knew the amount to the penny. You know, the same argument that it was somehow my fault that she cheated on me all weekend."

My mouth falls open. Nita makes Peter look like a catch. "Wow," I say, "You deserve so much better, Four."

"I think so, too," Four stares at me, and I feel a pull in my stomach.

"Um, you can put me down now…" I say meekly.

"You sure?" Four says seriously, staring at me.

I stare back, and nod yes.

He smiles and puts me down.

"Are you sure you're up for the hike to Lake Bierstadt? I was expecting you to have better stamina—"

"Shut the hell up, Four," I snap and shove him.

"I will only shut the hell up under one condition," he smiles.

"Which is…."

"You need to stay with us for the rest of the camping trip, and then I'll drive you home Wednesday morning," Four says seriously, all joking forgotten.

I bite my lip. Can I stay? This isn't my trip, and these aren't really my friends. How could I not be infringing, but I want to stay.

"Are you sure?" I start. "I mean, what about…"

Four pulls me in front of him, his hands holding my shoulders.

"Tris. Stop it. Look at me, I'm sure," he pleads. "I've already talked to the others, and everyone wants you here. Please stay."

I blush, feeling the heat on my chest as well.

"Okay, I'd love too!" I say happily.

Four pulls me into his arms, lifting me up and squeezing me tightly. I wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his neck. Suddenly our friendly hug feels like something different. I can't think of one time that Peter held me, and made me feel this way.

Shit…I'm so screwed. Four's hands slowly roam up and down my sides and I freeze. I wasn't expecting any of this. He puts me down, his cheeks red too.

"Um…" Four starts.

"Come on guys, pick up the pace! Less laughter and more brisk walking, we can hear your giggles all the way up here," Zeke yells from ahead.

 **+++o+++**

The hike to Lake Bierstadt was incredible, better than I imagined it would be. I'm entertained the entire way with the banter between Zeke and Uriah. They are both hysterical. I notice that anywhere I go, Four seems to gravitate towards me.

When we sit down on a huge boulder to eat lunch, everyone takes out different parts of the meal that they carried. Four gets up and brings back a sandwich and apple for each of us, smiling as he sits down next to me.

"Listen guys, tonight I'll handle dinner and clean up. It's the least I can do," I say firmly. "I still feel bad I didn't contribute to food and drinks."

Everyone tells me not to worry, they had more than enough.

"Actually, I paid for a fourth of all the food and drinks, so actually I have already paid for you Tris. You can consider yourself my plus one. So no more feeling bad, not one second more," Four insists.

Before I even think about it, I lean over and kiss Four on cheek. Four immediately blushes and smiles at me.

"Aw, how sweet!" the group cheers and teases us. I'm so embarrassed, I wasn't thinking when I did that.

We end up playing cards and relax during the break from hiking. When it's time to pack up the trash, I jump up to do it, Four immediately gets up to follow me.

"Sit, Four," I insist, "I've got this."

We need to pack up the trash and carry it out until we find a park trash bin, basically super heavy-duty trash cans that will not attract wildlife.

When I'm on the outskirts of the group, Marlene and Shauna pounce.

"Tris!" Marlene whispers. I smile at her and raise my brows.

Shauna grabs us both and pulls us further away from the group.

"We know that we shouldn't meddle, but we just have to put in a good word for Four," Shauna takes the lead while Mar nods in agreement.

"Oh Tris, he's an amazing guy. Forget about his looks, which come on, we can all admit are amazing. More importantly, he is kind, funny, loyal -and we think he's crazy about you."

I just smile and shrug. I'm not sure how I feel about Four. I'm also not sure that I could ever handle being more than friends. I think about that girl at the shower - shit like that would drive me insane.

"We should get back guys, it's getting late," I smile as the girls roll their eyes and tell me I'm no fun.

Yeah, I know.

 **+++o+++**

By the time we take the shuttle back to our camp, my stomach is grumbling. Walking through the entrance and taking a break to use restroom and freshen up, I keep expecting that girl to pop out of the bushes and offer to have sex with Four again. I shake my head, trying to push those thoughts away.

"Penny for your thoughts," Four whispers, sneaking up on me.

I laugh, because there is no way in hell I'd admit what I was thinking about.

"Guys! There is a warning posted on the board about bad weather rolling in tonight. We better do an early dinner and be ready to go to our cars if needed," Uri calls out.

Four and I immediately make eye contact. He walks closer and I turn to face him, ready to talk.

"You know, if you insist on sleeping under the stars and the rain," Four leans closer to me. "I will be forced to sleep out there too. Or you can sleep in my tent, we can even switch with Zeke so you and Shau—"

"Stop, I'm not that much of prude. I'm not going to separate a couple. I'll stay in your tent. Thank you, Four," I bite my lip nervously.

"Good," Four smiles. Then leans down and whispers, "And I'm glad you're not a prude."

I giggle and smack him. He jumps back, laughing.

We all rush through dinner, hungry for cooked warm food. Everyone is so excited for our hike to Ouzel Falls tomorrow. I've never been to the waterfall. I practically make out with my corn on the cob because nothing beats campfire corn. I notice Four watching me with his eyebrows raised, I am glad my devouring of food entertains him. I wink at him and keep eating. He licks his lips, and I laugh.

As soon as we clean up, all the couples start yawning and stretching. Four and I exchange a look. The couples all want alone time to fool around. So we all agree to take an hour break and then do s'mores by the fire, at least until the rain starts.

Four leads me to his tent, which is not visible from the fire pit. I end up yawning while we walk.

"You gonna make it for s'more tonight, Prior?" he asks.

"I'll rally, you'll see," I wink at him.

My mouth falls open when I see Four's tent.

"Wow! Your tent is huge," I say as we step into it. We both slip off our shoes at the entrance to avoid tracking in dirt.

"I'm actually claustrophobic," Four confesses. "I think I would die in a two person tent."

Four clears his throat, nodding at the corner where he has one large sleeping pad that would fit two bags side by side.

"I only have the one pad, do you mind laying our bags next to each other?" he asks.

I nod in agreement. I know I'll sleep much better if my bag is on top of the pad. I laugh when I see Four's sleeping bag up close.

"Hey, we have the same style bag, our bags can actually zip up to make one big bag," I think about what I just said and groan.

He chuckles over my embarrassment when I process what I just said!

We end up laying on top of our sleeping bags and talking. The temperature is falling rapidly since the storm is coming. That's the funny thing about Colorado, you can wear shorts one day and have snow the next.

I'm smiling at Four when I hear scratching and whining at Four's tent door. He rolls his eyes and lets Roja in, explaining that Zeke and Shauna always kick the dog out of their tent during sexy time. I laugh and tell Four I would do the same. I would not be cool doing it in front of a pet dog. Four smiles at me, waggling his eyebrows.

I laugh as Roja snuggles right in between us.

"That's it, the dog has got to go!" Four frowns, motioning to Roja.

I smile and yawn. Four tells me to close my eyes and rest. He'll wake me when it's time for s'mores.

 **+++o+++**

 ****FOUR POV****

Damn, I'm so tired now, the cool weather is not helping. The temperature is dropping rapidly. I should have taken a nap when I had the chance, but watching Tris sleep was too tempting. I'm officially that guy - I'm completely whipped by this girl. If she were to say jump, I'd say how high. I thought I liked her before, but the more time I spend with her, the more I want her. Not only in a physical way; I know I want her in my life. I want her in every way.

I frown, remembering how dismissive she was when Lauren basically threw herself at me. Tris didn't care in the least. She seemed to even find it funny, teasing me about all the girls that that chase me.

 _That's because she's not into you._

I also worry that we'll have this weekend, and then she will disappear. It's not like we are really friends, I don't even have her cell phone number.

"Earth to Four, your turn!" Zeke snaps at me. All eyes are on me because we're playing Truth or Dare.

"Um, okay?" I ask.

"Do you pick truth or dare?" Zeke asks. I see the wicked gleam in his eyes.

Shit, so far I've been given simple dares by Lynn and Marlene. I know Zeke and Uri will push the envelope and do something really embarrassing and it will probably involve Tris.

"Truth, be kind," I state.

"Four, yes or no…are you currently crushing on someone?" Zeke smiles.

Asshole, that is not something I want to admit in front of everyone.

 _In front of Tris._

I roll my eyes and refuse to answer. I slip my jacket off and drop it on the ground next to me. I steal a glance at Tris who is looking at the fire pit, looking completely uninterested. I frown.

My turn to deliver some torture. "Uriah, truth or dare?"

"Dare!"

"I dare you to go to Hector's camp and steal their lanterns," I say.

Uriah smiles as he is always game. He succeeds and comes back with three lanterns. He sets them down carefully. They'll figure out it was us, and then come get them, or we will bring them back.

The games goes round and round. The girls are being nice to each other and giving each other decent dares. The boys, not so much.

I shiver, not wearing my coat is starting to get cold. Zeke notices and tells me if I answer the question now I can put my coat back on. I give him the middle finger.

Everyone laughs. The rules of the game are either an article of clothing comes off or you agree to some kind of grunt work assignment.

Suddenly, Roja is on guard and standing at attention, alerting us someone is coming. Hector lets her know it is him, and the dog runs over to greet him. Hector and two of his friends came over to search for their lanterns. I remember that Tris hadn't joined us yet the afternoon we saw Hector at his camp.

Shauna introduces Tris to her little brother. I notice the way his friends' eyes rake up and down her body. He whispers something in Tris's ear, and she laughs at him and rolls her eyes. He then smiles and shrugs. They stay a few more minutes and then say goodbye. The boys wave goodbye to Tris. Hector mouths her an apology for his friend that has been hitting on her nonstop. I don't think Tris is going to be interested in a high school junior.

It's Claire's turn when we resume the game, she looks around nervously. She is pretty nice, I'm guessing she's trying to think of a good dare that isn't too intrusive.

"Four, truth or dare?" she asks.

"Dare, please," I answer.

"Now that your jacket is off, I see the start of a tattoo on your neck. I dare you to show us all the rest of your tattoo," Claire asks.

I frown, thinking of all the things she could have asked. I know she didn't think this dare would be a big deal. But it's a really big deal to me. I don't show anyone my back, or the massive tattoo I have that hides all of my secrets.

All eyes are on me, waiting expectantly. Zeke mentions the temperature, making sure we are all ready to run to our cars if needed. He's trying to save me.

Tris looks around confused. And then her eyes settle on me, she gives me a small smile as though she has my back no matter what.

 _If I show anyone…it would be Tris._

"It's cold, I'm not taking my shirt off. I'll take some grunt work," I answer.

Claire, now feeling the tension, quickly agrees and assigns me the job of putting away the folding chairs tonight. I smile and nod.

I feel my cheeks flaming, but I just need to keep the game going. It's obvious the rain will start soon. I ask Shauna if she wants Truth or Dare. She takes dare.

I dare her to stand behind Zeke and give him a good shoulder and back massage for the rest of the game. Zeke laughs and claps happily. She scowls, but I know she really doesn't mind. She is always loving to Zeke and doing things like that without him asking.

"I know this game is ending soon. Alright, Tris. Truth or Dare?" Shauna asks.

"Dare, please," Tris replies.

Shauna smiles, sharing a look with Marlene who nods, encouraging her.

"I dare you to take Four into his the tent for Seven Minutes in Heaven," she says matter-of-factly. As though she had just asked Tris to hop on one foot.

Damn it, Shauna!

My cheeks are red, and poor Tris looks mortified, but she nods and gets up.

"Are you coming?" she asks me quietly.

I nod and follow her, shooting Shauna a nasty look. I didn't want Tris to feel weird or uncomfortable. We quietly step into the tent, my palms sweating because I'm nervous. I quickly find my lantern and turn it on, and once the light is on, I notice Tris is wringing her hands.

I sit down on my sleeping bag I fumble with the lantern, putting the light down as Tris sits down on her sleeping bag.

I clear my throat. "Tris, don't worry about the dare, we can just hang out—" I begin.

Suddenly. Tris has her hands on my upper chest, and she's looking at my lips. She's kneeling in front of me. I'm stunned and gulp nervously.

"Only kissing, okay?" Tris whispers, her eyes searching mine.

"I'd like that," I whisper back, while gently touching the seam of her V-neck shirt with my fingertips. She has a tattoo of three flying ravens on her left collarbone, a simple design, yet so beautiful.

Before I can think about anything else, she closes her eyes and kisses my lips softly. I feel a spark the moment our lips touch.

Her hands roam up my shoulders and go around my neck to pull me closer. I move my hands to her waist and hold her while we kiss. I desperately want more. Our knees touch as we lean into each other so our lips can meet. She means too much to me. She always has. I control my urges and don't push her. I don't want to pressure her in any way. My eyes are closed as I just feel the energy of her kisses. I feel as though I'm about to combust.

The kisses start out sweet and timid, we both smile at each other, and then I lean down to kiss her again. Our tongues slowly begin a dance, as we kiss gently.

I move my hands up and down her sides, enjoying the feel of her under my hands. I want to let my hands roam, but I will respect her request of only kissing. Tris has one arm around my shoulders, while her other hand gently tugs at the curls at the top of my neck. With each tug of my hair, I deepen the kiss and let a little more passion slip through.

I moan when she gently nips at my lower lip. Without thinking, I pull her into my lap so I can kiss her thoroughly.

"Is this okay?" I ask, my voice betraying how worked up I am.

"Yeah, it is," she says as she kisses me roughly in return. "More than okay," she whispers in my ear and then goes back to kiss my lips.

Our kisses are incredible, full of want and need. My lips are already sore. I've never in my life kissed someone in this way.

I want to devour her mouth and -

"Guys, time is up and it's starting to rain. Sorry! But we need your help," someone yells from a few yards away.

We both smile and then pull away from each other, both embarrassed. Even though we were just kissing, the feelings were intense.

 **+++o+++**

The next ten minutes are a blur because everyone is running around and packing up the gear. Tris helps me do the folding chairs, even when I tell her not to worry. She rolls her eyes at me.

As we say goodnight, and all the couples go to their own tents, I ask Tris if she would like some drinks and snacks for our tent.

"Of course!" she says, laughing at me.

I grab the food I think we'd both like, plus a six-pack of beer. I see the other couples had the same idea.

I make it back into our tent right as the downpour begins, Tris has fixed the lantern and set it up by our sleeping bags. I suddenly feel nervous. I don't want to miss things up. I really like her, alot. I know from experience that sometimes a kiss is just a kiss. I can't assume anything.

"Cards?" I offer. Her face lights up as she nods.

"Can I get you a beer? " I ask. "Some food?"

We begin our card game of Rummy, and I think she may be slightly obsessed with this game. She really gets into it, getting peeved when I pick up a card from the deck that she wanted to build her set. Of course, this only encourages me to mock her more.

"I've been meaning to ask you, when all of this crap was going down with Peter what were the other campers doing?" I ask, trying to mask the curiosity in my voice.

I know if I ever got grabby and belligerent with any female, both Zeke and Uriah would knock some sense into me - literally, with their fists.

Tris scowls as a scoffs escapes her lips.

"Well, let's see," she starts. "Peter's cousin is named Myra, and she would never stick up to anyone. She avoids conflict at all costs. She's also Eric's girlfriend."

I note the way Tris' voice changes when she mentions Eric, and the way her shoulders tense.

"Eric was in your class, Exercise Physiology, last fall semester. He's blond and buff, with obnoxious piercings to match his obnoxious mouth," Tris spits.

I instantly remember the student she's describing, I was actually relieved Eric wasn't in any of my winter classes. He was one of the most unpleasant students I've ever had to deal with as a TA.

But if I'm honest, that's not the only reason I didn't like him. He was always leering at Tris in class. It was unnerving.

"Eric is Peter's best friend and dating his cousin, so I was always stuck with him. The worst part was he was always after me," Tris says. "It was this sick fantasy of his that we have an affair, which made me want to swallow my own bile. I don't even think it had anything to do with me, it was something between him and Peter. I even wondered if that was the only reason he was dating Myra…" her voice trails off.

"What happened? There's more, right?" I push her, I need to know.

Tris takes a long sip of her beer and then sighs. "Eric is another reason I had to leave the camping group," she continues.

My stomach drops, if that asshole did anything…

"After Peter cursed me out and dumped me, I started fixing my bag and gear. Everyone had retreated to go to sleep. I had no doubt Peter had blacked out for the night." she sighs. "Eric came over, Myra was sleeping in their tent, he really wanted to hook up by the fire pit. He told me that would be the best way for me to get back at Peter - while his girlfriend was sleeping just yards away!

"I told him he disgusts me and I'd scream bloody murder if he even looked at me again," Tris says with a sneer. "And that I'd have to care about Peter in the first place to want to get back at him."

Her eyes meet mine for the first time, and she seems upset.

"I barely slept that night, I was so freaked that Eric would do something to me while I was sleeping." She cringes at the memory.

"Tris, I'm sorry you had to deal with those jerks. They sound like a bunch of assholes," I say firmly. "I hope you know that you're safe here. I'd never let anyone hurt you."

Her eyes meet mine. She looks at me and it's as though she sees me. Everything about me, everything I work so hard to hide. All of my secrets, including my past I fight so desperately to overcome.

Tris reaches out to touch the side of my face, as my heart races a mile a minute. Her thumb gently traces my lower lip before resting on my cheek again.

"I know, I trust you, Four," she whispers.

I think about kissing her. I really want to, but I hold myself back. She's just finished telling me how some bastard has been sexually harassing her. Now is not the time.

Suddenly, she tilts her head to the side, looking at my neck. She lowers her fingers to trace the start of my large tattoo that can be seen above my shirt. My Adam's apple bobs as she touches me.

"I was surprised you wouldn't show the group your tattoo. Most people are very happy to show off their tats," she whispers. She's very observant. She sees everything, I want to be honest with her. I need to be.

"Do you wanna see it? My tattoo?" my voice nervous. I've never shown _anyone_ my tattoo. Not Nita, not other girlfriends. I never trusted them enough. It was something easy enough to hide, from someone who wasn't really looking at me.

Tris nods, her eyes watching me carefully. I pull my shirt and sweater off and turn so she can see it.

Tris gasps, and I tense and close my eyes. Has she seen the scars already? Does she realize the years of abuse my father and his belt inflicted on me?

"What is it?" Tris asks carefully.

"I don't invite many people to look at me," I stammer. "Any actually."

"I can't imagine why," she whispers quietly. "I mean, look at you. This is amazing, Four. May I touch it?"

I turn my face to look at her. I want her so badly. I gaze at her lips, and then meet her eyes.

"Yes," I gulp with desire.

I hold still as her fingertips trace along the flames of the tattoo. When Tris finds a scar that runs left to right, her fingers trace that, the tattoo forgotten. I control myself as I fight to keep from flinching.

I realize she won't ask me. She'll let me keep my secrets. But I don't want that, not anymore. Not with her, at least.

"My father, who is finally out of my life, was very abusive. To my mother, and then me. When she died, it was as though he needed to direct all of his rage somewhere else… and that was me," I deadpan. Tris sits up and continues to trace my back, encouraging me to continue.

I tell her about my past. How my father would insist it was for my own good. How I'd black out from the pain at times. Being locked in a small closet for hours. All while Tris moves next to me in order to listen. She looks sad, but she remains calm. I see no judgement in her eyes.

It felt good to tell someone - to tell her. I know I'm falling in love with her, which terrifies me. I have no idea how she really feels about me.

Tris moves to sit behind me again, resting her chin on my shoulder as she breathes in and out, as though to calm herself. She wraps her arms around my waist, she leans down to kiss my shoulder, one of my larger scars. I almost burst, I've never felt as loved as I do in that moment.

"Tris," I croak, as I fight to not break down.

"Thank you for trusting me, I know that wasn't easy for you to talk about," she murmurs. "I promise I will never reveal your secret."

"I believe you, Tris. I trust you." I say with confidence, turning to face her.

She smiles at me, her eyes shining brightly. Her eyes showing me that she does care about me. My eyes settle on her lips, as our earlier kiss flashes through my mind. I'm desperate to kiss her again.

"Tris, do you think—" I ask quietly before being interrupted.

There is a huge gust of wind, and a small tree branch hits the side of our tent, startling us both. I quickly slip on my shirt.

We both laugh, Tris wrapping her arms around herself and shivering. I frown, as I notice she's freezing. I hand her the sweater I had been wearing and smile.

"Are you sure?" she raises her eyebrows.

I nod and smile. Tris slips it on and then pulls it up to her nose to smell it. Does she think it will stink?

"Hey now!" I chastise her, while laughing. Her mouth drops open and her cheeks get red.

"I like that it smells like you, I was just checking," she admits and then bites her lower lip.

We hear the rain droplets pounding on the tent as it sways in the wind. I'm really glad I was very careful in staking it to the ground. We will be fine.

"I'm really glad to be in a tent tonight!" Tris laughs and smiles at me.

"I'm really glad you decided to stay for the whole trip. I'm really enjoying getting to know you better," I say.

"Me too, Four. Me too." Tris smiles.

 **+++o+++**

It is absolutely freezing in this tent. I'm cursing myself for not packing a few of my heat packs. Activating and then tossing them in our sleeping bags would have been a huge help right now. Before bed, both Tris and I dress in layers, and she is even wearing a pair of my sweatpants over her clothing.

We turned the lantern off twenty minutes ago, each of us in our own sleeping bags that are side by side. Every time I hear Tris fidget with cold, I feel a pang. I ache to take care of her, but I'd never suggest we snuggle to warm up.

"Tris, I actually hear your teeth chattering," I whisper.

"I'm glad you're awake! I may be dying I'm so cold," she jokes as her teeth continue to chatter.

"Four, we're both wearing a lot of layers and still cold. If we attach our sleeping bags and lie side by side we will at least be sharing body heat…if it's ok with you…" her voice trails off.

"I'm glad you said it! I was thinking the same exact thing, but I didn't want to seem creepy," I mumble.

"So I'm creepy now?" she asks.

I can tell she's teasing, so I laugh. We quickly turn on the lantern and reconfigure our bedding. We unzip both sleeping bags and lay one flat. Then we take the second and lay it over, zipping them together on the three sides, leaving the top open so we can slip in together.

Tris and I are lying side by side, and I'm the most nervous I have ever been. My heart is beating a mile a minute.

"Goodnight, Four," she whispers.

"Goodnight, Tris," I whisper back.

 **++o+ Chapter End +o++**

 **++++o+++ +++o+++ +++o+++**

 _Author's Note:_

 _Hi everyone,_

 _I just wanted to say hello and thank you for reading. I've had a great time with this short story. I've discovered I really enjoy writing Four and Tris in an Alternative Universe._

 _The big finale (Part IV) will be posted tomorrow morning!_

 _Thank you, FourTrisHEA_

 **++++o+++ +++o+++ +++o+++**


	5. OS2:Camping & Roughing It: Part IV of IV

**.**

 **Camping & Roughing It**

 **Chapter title** **: Part IV of IV – Tuesday, July 4th**

 **FOUR Part One-Shot**

 **++++++++++++o+++++++++++**

 **Short Story Plan** **:**

 **Part I of IV - Saturday, July 1st**

 **Part II of IV - Sunday, July 2nd**

 **Part III of IV - Monday, July 3rd**

 **Part IV of IV - Tuesday, July 4th**

 **++++++++++++o+++++++++++**

 **Chapter title** **: Part IV of IV – Tuesday, July 4th**

 ***Four POV***

"Rise and shine! Time to get decent!" Zeke yells from what I can only guess is his tent. I groan at the sound of his cheerful voice, which is an annoying way to be woken up. I keep my eyes closed, hoping this is just a dream and that I really have a good hour or two of sleep left.

My body responds to her before my brain does. I feel Tris lying against me, which immediately makes me excited. Very excited. I feel a pull in my stomach as I bite my lip to swallow my groan.

My eyes pop open to look, immediately confirming that Tris' lithe figure is pressed firmly against me as we are wrapped in each other's arms. Her leg is thrown over my hip, and my hand rests on her upper thigh. One of her arms is wrapped around me, slipping up the back of my shirt and resting directly on my back.

I'm overcome by lust, even though I know I shouldn't be. What I didn't anticipate was a sleeping Tris, adorable drool on her chin and all, pressing her entire body closer to me as she mumbles in her sleep. Oh shit, I feel her core press directly against me as I gasp loudly. I try desperately to untangle myself. Although not by design, I feel as though I'm taking advantage of her in some way - which is an awful feeling.

Zeke is now standing just yards from our tent as he makes his rounds to wake our entire group. His booming voice is close enough to wake Tris this time.

"It's the big day, happy Fourth of July!" Zeke calls. "The storm rolled out last night, we are good to do the Ouzel Falls hike. Let's go, let's go!"

Her eyes pop open immediately, taking in our positions. I'm sure she feels my large excitement as well, when her eyes widen and she quickly joins me in untangling herself. Her cheeks are flaming red as her mouth falls open in shock.

I feel shame and look away because this is not what I wanted. Not even close.

We manage to separate and move to our respective sides of the sleeping bag. For the record, Tris was all the way on my side. I'm just saying.

She sees my face, which must reflect the absolute horror that I feel, and then she releases her breath and smiles bashfully.

"Let's never discuss this moment again, deal?" Tris mumbles and laughs nervously.

"What moment? I have no idea what you're talking about," I say awkwardly, trying to break the tension with humor.

Then Tris surprises me. She gently cups my face and smiles.

"I'm sorry, I was on your side of the sleeping bag," Tris says. "Forgive me?"

I place my hand over hers, and her eyes burn into me, watching every move I make. I slide her hand across my jaw until her palm is over my mouth, and I kiss the inside of her hand. Tris bites her lower lip as she gives me a small smile.

"Only if you forgive me too?" I throw back to her with a playful smirk.

We both grin and laugh, the awkwardness immediately behind us.

 **++o++**

"What else can I do?" I ask Tris while beating the next batch of scrambled eggs. She insists on making breakfast for everyone this morning, and I insist that I will serve as her sous-chef. Uriah points out he hasn't had a turn cooking and offers to assist Tris instead. I give him a pointed look, and he immediately announces he will take dinner.

Tris chuckles when I tell her this is the one time I'm giving her permission to boss me around.

"Good to know," Tris smirks, while placing strips of bacon on the non-stick pan. Our group brought two camping stoves. I'm impressed as Tris skillfully manages to have numerous plates of food cooking at once.

"The trick is to time it correctly, you are hosed if everything is ready at the same time," she explains. "Something will end up burning." She asks me to hold off on turning on the stove for the bacon.

Tris and I share a piece of toast to hold us over because the first few batches of food are for our friends. We'll eat last. I feed her the toast while she is cooking, and she blushes. I resist dragging her to my tent like a caveman.

Using my thumb, I wipe toast crumbs off the corner of her mouth as she grins at me. I notice that Zeke and Shauna are watching every single move and smiling. Good grief, does Shauna actually have happy tears in her eyes? Because that wouldn't freak Tris out. I discreetly motion the universal 'knock it off' sign at them. Zeke motions for me to grab Tris and kiss her. Zeke demonstrates by kissing Shauna, as though I am an idiot.

"I'm completely stoked that storm rolled out, a perfect day for Ouzel Falls," Lynn smiles. "Make sure you wear your suits for our hike out, there will be nowhere private to change once we leave camp."

"Suits?" Tris asks.

"Of course, the best part of this strenuous hike to the falls is swimming," Uriah says enthusiastically. "After our swim we'll eat lunch while we dry off and rest. The hike down is also difficult because so steep."

"I don't have a suit, but I'll just dip my feet in," Tris shrugs and smiles. "I can be towel girl or something."

Zeke finds this hilarious. I have noticed that even when I am not within talking distance that all of my friends genuinely seem to like Tris. She's a great girl, so I can't blame them. Part of me wonders if after this trip she will still be in my life.

I need to talk to her.

Marlene offers to let Tris wear her extra bathing suit, and I smile at her thankfully.

"Come on, Tris," Marlene says. "I need to run to my tent for a minute. You can change now. Uri, take over for Tris until we return."

Uriah watches the girls walk off and then pats me on the back in a good-humored way.

"You are so welcome, my man!" he smirks.

"For what?" I demand.

"You'll see," he laughs.

I'm not quite sure what he's getting at, so I just nod and turn my attention back to the food. I lower the heat a little, not being as skilled as Tris in the cooking department.

Uriah offers me help, but I wave him away. I'm sure Tris will be back soon and I lowered the heat. The remaining campers are getting hungry. I eye the toast and consider having another slice that I can split when she gets back. I decide against it. I'll save the toast for my eggs.

Tris walks back, and I immediately notice she seems uncomfortable. She forces a smile and quickly assesses the food being cooked. She plays with the burners to get us back on track.

"Everything okay?" I whisper, as I place my hand on her lower back.

She looks up at me and smiles, her cheeks flushing red.

She nods her head as to motion not a big deal, "It's just that Mar's bathing suit is more like dental floss with a small amount of fabric," she whispers.

My mouth falls open, and I feel all the blood rush to my lower anatomy. Before I can stop myself, my eyes lower to her lovely rack, which I've been discreetly admiring all weekend long. This time there was nothing subtle about it.

"Four!" Tris hisses, glaring at me. She punches me in the arm playfully. I can tell she isn't that mad.

"I'm sorry," I laugh. "But in my defense that was a very detailed image and provocative description,"

Tris laughs, too. I pull her into my arms.

"Do you forgive me?" I plead.

She bites her lip, which in itself drives me insane with need, and we stare at each other. She slowly glides her hands up my chest and wraps her arms around my neck.

"I'll decide later," she says with a playful smirk.

I pull her even closer to me, "Oh, yeah?" I lean down and whisper.

She quickly gulps, as though needing to calm herself. Could she want me, as much as I want her?

"Our eggs are going to burn," Uriah yells. "I need a good breakfast for this hike. Cook or give me the spatula."

Tris and I jump apart, our faces now beet red. Our friends laugh, Uriah is the only one not amused. He huffs while checking the food for himself. He is a cranky little bitch when hungry, but I'm used to it.

We resume cooking - the moment has passed, as we just smile at each other.

 **++o++**

"According to my map we are halfway to the big waterfall, but we can sit for a minute and rest if you guys want," Lynn offers.

"Yes, please!" Mar and Shauna say in unison.

Shauna left Roja with Hector and his friends today. We didn't want to risk this hike being too much for the dog. I glance over at Tris, and I'm impressed at how fit she is. I forgot that the day we drove up and set up camp, she was hiking away from those assholes for many hours. I open my canteen and offer her a drink first. Tris and I packed our backpacks as a couple. I'm carrying our water, and she has our food. It's what the other couples are doing for today's hike.

More than anything I want us to actually be a couple.

The hike so far has had some strenuous parts. Several times, I held Tris's hand to help pull her up a deep incline. My face warms remembering that we'd held hands longer than necessary - often with our fingers intertwined. This can't all be in my mind.

I glance at her, and she is smiling and talking to Lynn and Claire. They are explaining how they met. Lynn snidely comments that meeting Claire was the one redeemable thing she could say about my ex, Nita. Tris' brow furrows. Maybe she is caught off guard by Lynn's strong feelings.

Lynn detested Nita, but she can admit she only met Claire because of her. Last semester Nita and Claire worked together in the computer lab. Lynn and I were on our way to lunch, and I made her come with me to grab Nita. The rest is history.

"Would you like some trail mix?" Tris offers as she scoots closer to me.

"I'll have _anything_ you are offering," I smile at Tris, trying to flirt. She gives me a handful of trail mix without noticing.

Okay, I need to work on my flirting skills. Where the hell is Zeke to coach me? I think about how I've never had to pursue a woman before. Before Tris, it's always been so easy.

Maybe too easy.

"So, did any of your friends like Nita?" Tris asks quietly as her eyes meet mine. She seems curious, but not upset in any way.

"That's a hard question to answer." I say honestly, pausing to organize my thoughts.

Tris nods and looks away.

I've noticed that she doesn't push me for information or details. She did the same thing when she saw my scars. I know she cares, but she won't demand information that I'm not willing to give.

I also know that if I want a chance with her I have to be open and honest. I want a good relationship. I trust her. She deserves to be able to trust me as well.

"Nita is not an awful person, she really isn't," I admit slowly. "And if I'm honest with myself…I could have been a better boyfriend, had I wanted to be."

Tris's eyes dart over, meeting mine as we stare at each other.

"Nita was my girlfriend, but I never imagined a future with her. Ever," I continue. "She was just the girl that pursued me at the right moment, and it worked out. She and I were on the same page for a long time. We were in a committed relationship, but just a casual and fun thing. One day to the next, she decided that she wanted to be engaged, and expected me to go along with her change of plans."

Tris nods with understanding, and she gives me a small smile.

"Did she know how popular you were with your students?" Tris asks pointedly.

"She did," I frown at the memory. "To be honest some of her own friends made passes at me. Obviously they weren't true friends to begin with."

"It must've been hard on her, knowing that other women are hitting on you left and right," Tris insists. "Offering you sex after a three-minute conversation."

I hear the uncertainty and reservation in Tris' voice. I don't think we're talking about Nita anymore.

I feel dread. I don't like where this conversation is going. But I have to be honest, it's all I can do. I just got away from a conniving and scheming girlfriend. Now I need honesty across the board.

I pause to calm down, I feel like I am on a job interview. I hate where this conversation is going. I hate that Tris sees me as some asshole that has women throwing themselves at me all the time. But I also know it's true.

"Tris, Nita was not fazed at all about the students or even her lame friends," I say. "She was confident in herself. More importantly - she trusted me."

Moments of silence pass. Neither of us say anything as we drink water from the canteen.

Then suddenly it's as though a decision is made in Tris' mind. Shrugging, she smiles brightly at me.

"That's great Four," she laughs halfheartedly. "You're right, there are girls out there that wouldn't be bothered at all. That is so not me! It would drive me insane to have a boyfriend where I had to beat girls off with a stick. I'd be miserable."

Tris hops up and offers to pick up the trash from the group as she did after yesterday's lunch. I stay seated and frown.

Why do I feel like I was just dismissed? Like it was Tris' way of telling me that we won't be dating?

 _Because that's exactly what she means, dummy._

We get up and continue our hike to Ouzel Falls. We come across several smaller falls and cascades that only motivate us to keep going.

Tackling one especially steep part of the terrain, we all work together to help whomever needs assistance. Lynn and Shauna are pretty badass and can do it alone because of their tall height, but both are not skilled enough of hikers to help the others. Uri and I help Claire, and then I help pull Tris up, and I pull her into my arms.

"Thanks, Four!" she says quickly while squirming to put distance between us. "You should help Uri with Marlene, she seemed nervous about this part."

I nod carefully, watching as Tris gives me a small smile and then turns and walks away. I stand there and frown gloomily.

Once we keep moving, I notice that Shauna and Marlene link arms with Tris and enjoy an easier part of the hike.

"What happened with Tris?" Zeke asks quietly so no can hear us.

"What do you mean?" I snap.

Zeke rolls his eyes at me.

"Don't play dumb or get crabby with me. At breakfast she was two steps away from jumping in your arms and sucking your face off," Zeke says. "And now, she is treating you as if you are her older brother or something."

I frown, the ache in my chest is painful because he's right. She is treating me like I have been sent to the "friend zone," a guy's worst nightmare when he is pursuing a girl.

"Look, Four," Zeke says. "I've been your friend for years now. I've always enjoyed the comical aspect to your dating life. Seeing which sexy pushy girl happened to pounce on you at the right time. Don't get me wrong, it has been fun and comical to watch."

I roll my eyes, so glad my dating failures have been a source of entertainment for my friends.

"But this isn't funny," Zeke says softly. "Tris is an amazing girl, I've never seen you light up with anyone else the way you do with her. Uri and Mar have a lot of good things to say and they've known her since freshman year. I just don't want to see you blow it." I hear the concern in his voice.

 _I already have, but it's not my fault!_

"Zeke, it's complicated," I growl. "Tris isn't into me. She basically just told me that she couldn't handle dating someone with the constant pressure of other girls. It's not like I ask for it!"

"First, lower your voice. Second, you're acting like a damn blind fool," Zeke admonishes me, his tone as sharp as nails.

I frown and shake my head. What does he know?

"Let me remind you, this is the same girl that you have been thinking about for almost a year," Zeke reminds me. "You know she is special, you told me you saw it right away. Remember?"

I nod, admitting how I've felt for a long time.

"I care about you. I hope you know that you deserve _good_ in your life. Your father is an asshole, you didn't deserve the cards you were dealt. That shit is on him. Don't let his sickness tear you down," Zeke finishes softly.

I lower my eyes and nod. Zeke's right. I often doubt myself, which is probably one of the reasons I've never chased someone that I really wanted to date. I've just been snapped up by the wrong girls.

I turn to watch Tris walking with Shauna and Marlene. Tris is talking animatedly and gesturing. Marlene is hysterically laughing while Shauna's mouth hangs open. I catch enough words to guess the story is about their freshman year in the dorms.

I smile watching them, Tris is gorgeous, funny and kind. No one has ever made me feel the way she does.

I'm not giving up on Tris without a fight.

 **++o++**

Ouzel Falls is breathtaking, the drop more than forty feet through a sliver in the dark rock wall surrounding it. The water flows into a pool filled with boulders and fallen trees. There are small pools of water that are calm and perfect for wading.

The storm that rolled through last night must have scared other hikers away. Our group is the only one up here. It is very hot and sunny today, just what you would expect in early July.

We pick a spot where the huge boulders are flat. The boulders make a perfect place to set down our gear and have lunch after we explore the falls. Our group brought up two sunblock tubes to share. I grab one tube and slip my hand into Tris' hand. I pull her aside so we can help each other. She smiles at me and follows.

Because of my scars, I am wearing a rash guard shirt that protects me from the sun while also covering my back. I still need help applying sunblock to the back of my neck so I ask Tris. She also does my face, and she is very careful not to get any sunblock in my eyes. She bites her lip while applying it. I reach out and place my hands gently on her waist. Her mouth falls open for a moment, but I just smile at her innocently. She gulps and then moves on to put sunblock on the tops of my ears.

"Okay, your turn, Tris." I say and wait for her to slip out of her shirt and shorts.

Tris slides her shorts down, and then pauses for a moment before taking her shirt off, blushing furiously. She wasn't kidding, it is the sexiest bathing suit I've ever seen. Tris holds her shirt to her chest and looks away from me.

"Just put lotion on my back and shoulders please," she squeaks while frowning and turning her chest away from me.

I can see how uncomfortable she is, and it's more than just a modesty issue. I slather my hands with sunblock and thoroughly run my hands over her shoulders and then down her back. I also do the back of her arms and pull her closer to me.

I add more lotion to my hand and do the back of her neck, while also working out any kinks in her shoulders.

I lean over and whisper in her ear. "Tris, you are so beautiful," I say. "Stunning…you have nothing to be embarrassed about."

Tris turns her head to meet me gaze and smiles. "Thank you, Four," she replies.

She instantly seems to relax and tosses the shirt she had been carrying with her pile of stuff.

My talk with Zeke runs through my mind, I need to convince her that I am the right guy for her. I know it. I know it as much as I know she is the right girl for me.

The water pools are magnificent, and we all go for a swim.

The girls are being especially silly and happy. I feel a twinge of envy at how affectionate Shauna is with Zeke. Shauna is literally like a sister to me, and I feel sad because I'm desperate to be close to Tris.

Lynn insists on taking photos from outside the pools, due to the whole iPhone and water thing not being a good idea. Shauna agrees to switch with Lynn after so Lynn can be in the pictures too.

I pull Tris into my arms so Lynn can get a picture of us in the water. Tris blushes but wraps her arms around me. It's a wonderful excuse to hold her close to me. I tease Tris, asking if she is tired and needs me to carry her again. I offer to let her hold onto my back while I swim.

"Like a baby monkey?" she scowls and laughs at the same time. "No thank you, Four."

"I was thinking more honeymoon and past the threshold," I joke and gently cup her face, brushing my thumb across her lips.

For the first time in my entire life, the idea of marriage crosses my mind. I can actually picture myself having forever with her. I get lost in my own thoughts for a moment.

Tris is watching me intently, so I snap out of it and smile at her. That would be a great way for me to scare the crap out of her. I will keep these thoughts to myself.

The girls play 'model' while the guys do some laps - and race, of course.

Lynn is making the 'models' take turns, Claire is laughing hysterically at how bossy she is. Lynn may have found the perfect woman as well.

Striking a pose for the camera, Tris wades over to stand in front of the falls. She is laughing as she poses with her arms outstretched. The water reaches her lower waist right below the start of her bikini bottom, and her long golden hair flows down her back. I breathe in and out to calm myself. I am getting excited just looking at her.

What the hell is wrong with me? I am acting like a horny sixteen year old! But I know the answer, it's her. I'm crazy about her in every way.

Zeke notices her too, leaning over to me he whispers."

"You are so damn lucky there are no other single guys in this group," Zeke says. "They would be going nuts for a chance with Tris. Four, you better figure your shit out…and soon."

"I know, I've just got to convince her," I say with determination.

Zeke smiles and lets me know that he and Shauna are ready to help in any way they can. They are good friends.

Everyone is having a great time, except for Uriah. He is peeved no one else wants to play chicken against him and Marlene. He tries again to convince Tris to do it.

"I know if you tell Four you want to play, he'll do it. I'm pretty sure he would do _anything_ for you, Tris," Uriah says innocently, with Marlene nodding in agreement.

"Not going to happen, Uri. I hate that game. And I am wearing a bikini top that feels ready to fly off my body at any moment," Tris laughs.

"I'm not seeing the issue," Uri deadpans as Mar snickers. Her suit is equally revealing.

Tris rolls her eyes, and I've seen enough to want to step into the fray.

"Uriah, I am going to spend some time alone with Tris. Go away," I smile.

Uri waggles his brows at us and then races Marlene across the pool to give us privacy. I notice he lets her win, and she is ecstatic.

Tris looks at me and smiles, so I pull her close to me in the water. She looks nervous for a moment and then relaxes in my arms.

"I wanted to continue the conversation we were having earlier," I whisper in her ear while holding her close to me.

"Oh?" Tris mumbles sheepishly, with her fingertips resting lightly on my shoulders.

"Yes," I say seriously, staring into her eyes. She nods in agreement. "You know, I am just a normal guy. The truth is, it doesn't matter to me how many girls flirt or offer it up. I am trustworthy and loyal. I would never hurt you in that way."

I pause while searching her face for a reaction. She is listening to every word, with her eyes studying mine intently.

"I also have one key clarification from our conversation earlier," I lean my forehead against hers before continuing. "If you were my girlfriend, you wouldn't have to beat other girls off with a stick alone. I'd be right there helping as well."

Tris bites her lip and then giggles softly. Her hands move from my shoulder to wrap around my neck, as she pulls me closer to give me a kiss on the cheek.

We end up splashing around and enjoying a swim, Tris tries unsuccessfully to "drown me," but is unable to push me under the water, even when jumping on my back and trying. I greatly enjoy her numerous attempts, but I finally pull her close to me.

"Come here, no more drowning attempts. There are much better ways for us to exert energy," I smirks at her seductively.

Her eyes light up with delight as we embrace and hold one another closely. We share a smile before I gently plant a kiss where her shoulder and neck meet. I quickly realize it's a ticklish spot. Tris squirms in my arms but doesn't break away.

Her laughter rings in my ear, and it's the best sound.

Her smile falters for a moment as her fingertips tracing the seams of my rash guard.

"Do you wear this because of the scars?" she murmurs gently.

I gulp, meeting her gaze and nod to confirm her thoughts.

She pulls me even closer, pressing her chest against mine as I really appreciate Mar's tastes in bathing suits.

"I wish you didn't feel that you have to, you are still perfect - exactly as you are," Tris assures me, similar to how I persuaded her earlier to be comfortable in the sexy bathing suit.

"If we were alone, I would be comfortable going without the shirt," I assure her while sliding my hand to cradle her face.

Tris and I stare at each other, our eyes alternating between our lips and eyes.

I lick my lower lip nervously, "Maybe one day we can come back here…alone?" I ask her with a small amount of in trepidation.

Tris meets my gaze confidently. "I'd love that, Four," she responds.

I lean down and press my lips to her mouth lightly. Her body responding to me as she trembles. I think she's as nervous as I am. Each time our lips meet, we both give a little more, until our kisses are passionate and loving as our tongues move in a slow dance. My hands roam up and down her sides and back, the feeling of her bare skin only adding to my excitement. Tris's hands are holding onto my shoulders to keep us close.

Our kiss during the dare was really good. This is different because we are kissing because we choose to. This kiss is a promise for what is to come.

"Guys, it's getting late. Let's eat!" Uriah calls out, breaking us from our daze.

We smile and kiss one last time before looking around. To everyone's credit, no one is looking anywhere near our direction, giving us a small sense of privacy.

"Tonight, when we are able to be alone, I want to talk more about us, okay?" I ask Tris and smile sheepishly. I want to make us official, but it's also a conversation I want to have when we are alone.

"Yes, definitely," Tris smiles.

We swim over to the rocks and get out of the water; Tris and I had agreed to share a towel so we wouldn't need two. I let her dry off first, of course, forcing myself to look away as she does.

"I can't believe our weekend is almost over," Shauna says sadly while giving Zeke a back massage.

"Yeah, it will take us even longer to hike down with the incline, we'll probably get back to camp just in time for dinner," Uriah says. He jokingly asks me if I want to be his sous-chef tonight.

I say no while throwing a grape at him, which he skillfully catches in his mouth. The girls laugh at us.

"We have to be completely packed up and out by ten o'clock tomorrow morning. I already checked, another party has rented our site starting tomorrow," Shauna instructs. We all agree that packing most of the gear tonight is the way to go.

As our rest time is winding down, and we are mostly dried off, Zeke calls me over to show me something. He has his backpack on him. Shauna winks at me while passing me as she walks over to the girls that are looking at their "modeling" pictures on Lynn's phone and laughing at themselves.

"What's up?" I ask Zeke.

"Do you have pockets with a zipper in those cargo shorts?" he asks.

"Um, yeah?"

"Just in case, better safe than sorry. Take a couple of these," Zeke says. He slips two foil packages in my hand. "I'm assuming you didn't bring any as you weren't planning on finding your soulmate on this trip," he smiles.

I quickly shove them in my pocket and close the zipper.

"I am pretty sure that is not going to happen tonight; but just in case, it's better to have them and not need them than the other way around. Thanks, buddy," I say.

We all pack up and get ready for the long hike back to camp.

 **++o++**

We are all exhausted as we trudge back to our camp site after using the facilities at the campground entrance. Uriah is trying to convince us that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches would be a much more enjoyable meal than the grilled chicken and corn on the cob we have slated for dinner.

He looks at Tris for back up, but she laughs at him.

"Sorry Uri, you lost my vote at the threat of taking away corn on the cob," Tris says.

He pouts because if anyone in our group would have given him a pass, it would have been Tris.

With Marlene on his one side, and Tris momentarily walking on his other, he agrees to make the dinner we had planned. Tris is the best cook we have, and she smiles at him and promises to help him cook.

"We'll have it done in no time. You'll see!" Tris promises brightly.

Uriah smiles and announces to us that Tris is the nicest person on our group. He picks her up good-naturedly and twirls her around. Her laughter rings out as she demands he put her down. The rest of us join in her laughter, too.

"Well, isn't this nice. And here I was worried sick about you, Tris," a guy hisses, stepping out from behind the trees at our campsite. A second guy follows behind him, and moves to stand next to him. I recognize Eric immediately from class. I can only assume the guy who spoke is Peter.

My jaw clenches as my eyes narrow.

Uriah places Tris down but stands his ground. Tris looks like a deer caught in headlights, her face expressionless although her eyes open wide.

"I mean this is hysterical. We have been frantically looking for you, and all along you are here – living it up with another group," Peter spits. "I met Hector, nice kid. He knew right away where you were and with whom. Did you have fun at the falls today, sweetie?"

"Go away, Peter, we are done," Tris says firmly.

"I'm ready to leave when you are, Tris. I took the liberty of packing your crap," Peter orders. Peter has Tris' hiking backpack that had been in my tent along with her rolled up sleeping bag. These little assholes went through our stuff.

"Enough games, let's go," Peter steps toward Tris as she steps back.

"Peter, we broke up. I don't even know why you are here. I'm not going anywhere with you," Tris says firmly, her eyes darting between Peter and Eric.

A dark look crosses Peter's face.

"Imagine my surprise finding your things in some guy's tent. You look really familiar. Do we know each other? Are you _Four_?" Peter snaps while scowling at Uriah, who had been standing next to Tris. All of the gear in my tent is labeled with my name.

"Don't worry about who I am, get the hell out of here. This is our camp site and you are not welcome," Uri says calmly.

"I'm Four," I say as I walk over to stand next to Tris. Without caring what this little shit thinks, I slip my hand into hers and squeeze it.

I don't think it even occurred to Peter that she would move on so quickly. Even with her things in my tent, it isn't uncommon for people to share tents as needed and there was a storm that rolled through last night. A combination of disbelief and rage crosses his face. Even Eric behind him looks stunned. Peter steps closer to us, now standing directly in front of Tris. Uri and I stand at her sides.

"Are you kidding me, Tris? We have one fight, and this is what you do?" Peter shouts at her, then turns his attention to me. "Get your damn hands off of my girl."

"She's not your anything," I snap.

"Please, Peter. Just go," Tris pleads. She looks terribly uncomfortable.

"You damn slut! What happened? You had to try to _earn your keep_ in order to join their camping group? I guess you had to work for your rations like a tramp," Peter hisses.

It happens so quickly. I reach forward to grab Peter's shirt with my free hand demanding he apologize to her.

Instinctively, Uriah picks up Tris at the same time and drags both her and Marlene away from Peter and me.

The next thing I know Peter sucker punches me in the face. I was not expecting it, and I feel the rush of blood from my nose. The little bastard then comes at me again. This time I'm ready and sidestep him. I don't even want to fight him. He's a punk and pissed he lost Tris. I just want him to apologize and get the hell out.

Peter is enraged, and will not stop. Next thing I know, he has tackled me to the ground. We are rolling around and both throwing punches.

I hear Zeke warn Eric to stay out of it, unless he wants to make it a three-on-two fight, meaning that both Uriah and Zeke would jump in.

The girls are pleading for someone to break it up. This is not how I wanted my relationship with Tris to start.

I finally get Peter in a headlock and hold him still. "Peter, enough. This is over. Just get the hell out of here and take Eric with you," I command. Peter is furious that I have the upper hand.

Tris has tears streaming down her face as Shauna and Mar comfort her, but they look equally distressed.

"Screw this shit!" Peter scream. "Get the hell off of me."

I sigh while releasing him and stepping away. Peter isn't badly injured. I made it a point to not hit him hard until I could get him in a headlock and end the fight. After his initial sucker punch, he never got a good hit in either. Until this point, it was more of a ridiculous wrestling match.

Peter scowls at me and turns to walk away. He takes a couple of steps before stopping in front of Tris and turning back to face me.

"Enjoy this bitch, Four," Peter scowls. "You've probably figured this out by now, but Tris is completely frigid. Good luck with that. Hope you enjoyed having some kind of a sex life until now."

Tris gasps, mortified that he would say that in front of everyone. Angry tears fill her eyes.

Peter frowns at seeing her reaction, and for a moment I think he is going to apologize for hurting her feelings. Instead he roughly grabs her by the arm.

"Enough Tris, let's go. You had your fun, but it's over!" Peter snaps while yanking her towards him.

Tris gasps sharply as Peter turns and roughly begins pulling her behind him while he trudges away. Even Eric looks stunned.

Peter stumbles when Tris pulls her arm back. Almost tripping, he pulls Tris down at the same time. Tris's chin hits the corner of the picnic table, and she shrieks in pain.

I don't even hear what Peter is saying as he leans over to check on her.

I see red. That was the last straw for me. I lunge for Peter and punch him in the throat. An odd gurgling sound comes out of his mouth. I drag him away from Tris and tackle him to the ground and begin swinging. I don't even register the girls screaming and crying, begging me to stop. Eric tries to pull me off, so I punch him once in the nose and he falls back. I'm too enraged to stop.

"Four, stop! Enough!" Zeke shouts. He and Uri both work together to drag me off of Peter, who remains on the ground, not moving.

"You bastard, how dare you touch her. I'll kill you!" I grunt while struggling to get back to Peter.

"Shut your damn mouth and come with me now!" Zeke hollers at me. Zeke has me by the shirt collar and is dragging me for a walk towards my tent. I am so mad that I am shaking.

We keep walking, past my tent and then further into the forest.

"What the hell, man!" Zeke yells. "I was afraid you were going to hurt him to the point of earning yourself some damn jail time. You were out of control, reel it back in."

Tris. I need to see her. I turn around and start walking back to camp.

"Hell, no," Zeke stops me. "You and I are going to keep walking until you calm the hell down. Seriously, stop it. Uri is with the girls and Hector's group came running when they heard the girls screaming and crying."

I frown, but nod. Zeke is right. I lost control. Zeke uses his finger to make a loud whistle, and suddenly Roja runs to our side.

"Come on girl, you can help me keep Four in line…and out of jail," Zeke grumbles as we walk.

 **++o++**

I feel anxious as we walk back towards our camp. I regret leaving Tris behind while Peter and Eric were still there. But I was out of control and holding on by a thread. I trust Uri and Hector's group were able to kick them out.

As soon as I step into our shared area by the fire pit, I sense something is wrong. The girls have a look of dread on their faces. I scan quickly in search of Tris, but she is nowhere to be found.

"Where's Tris?" I immediately ask.

"Four, why don't you sit down? Let's get you some ice for those hands," Shauna offers.

I frown, looking around again.

"Seriously, where is Tris?" I repeat.

"Four, she was upset," Shauna sighs. "The whole fight was so violent. It was just an ugly situation."

"Shauna," I warn. I need to her to spit it out.

"Look, all we know if that she picked up her camping gear and left," Shauna says. "They sent a ranger over to take Peter to the infirmary. Tris didn't say a word to any of us. Even when we tried to talk to her, she begged us to leave her alone." I see that it pains her to tell me this.

Tris is gone?

"Well look who's back from his anger-management walk," Eric says snidely.

We all frown as Eric enters our camp. He is holding up his hands as if to say that he is not there to fight.

"Believe me, this is the last place I wanted to come back to," Eric scowls. "Peter left his bag with the car keys in it."

Eric motions to the tree they stepped out from behind, and he picks up a backpack we can only assume is theirs.

"You know, when you were my teacher last year," Eric turns to face me, "I used to think you were so damn smart. But you're an idiot. This is a little game Tris and Peter play with each other. It makes their love life more exciting. After all that, you don't even get the girl. She's with him again, taking care of his sorry ass like always."

Blood rushes to my face, a sick feeling settling in my stomach.

"I almost forgot," he laughs. "Tris changed clothes at the main entrance, she asked me to bring this back and return to someone named Mara or Marla something?"

Marlene's eyes widen at seeing her bikini. Tris had been wearing it when we got back from the falls. Eric holds it up so that it dangles, smirking at it.

"This is some sexy shit, Marla," Eric says. "Too bad I didn't get a chance to see Tris wearing it. She made me leave the room before she changed. I think she wanted to give Peter a private show. Those two freaks…always fighting and then making up."

Uri snatches the bathing suit out of Eric's hands, and then Uri walks Marlene back to their tent.

Before I process what Eric is saying about Tris, I decide to deal with him first. I step closer to Eric.

"You know Eric, I wonder what your friend Peter, or his cousin Myra, would say if they were to find out how you're always harassing Tris?" I ask him.

Eric looks startled.

"And don't forget, as your teacher last semester I saw first-hand how you leered at Tris in my class," I continue. "Your sick game is up. Tris may be too nice to blow you and your bullshit out of the water, but I'm not."

Eric looks worried.

"I don't care if Tris marries Peter tomorrow… _you_ had better leave her the hell alone and knock off your sexual harassment," I tell Eric as I step closer. "Do we understand each other?"

"Yes, I understand," he snaps.

Eric rolls his eyes. He walks away and then stops one last time.

"Hey Four, Tris is with Peter and going to ride back with us," he calls. "Anything you want me to tell her on your behalf?" The smirk on his face is loud and clear. He is taunting me.

"Just get the hell out of here, Eric," I snap.

As soon as he is gone, my friends walk over to comfort me, which only makes me feel worse. How could she do this? I'm such a fool.

I'm pissed and heartbroken at the same time. I shake my head and tell the group I need to be alone. They nod in understanding.

I go to my tent and lie down, my heart aching. All of her things gone. I can't believe after all that, she went back to him. Eric's words ring in my ear, " _This is a little game that Tris and Peter play with each other."_

How could I be so stupid? I was so sure I meant something to her. Bitter tears fill my eyes, but I blink them away. I refuse to cry over _her._

The good news…now I know the girl I've been pining for doesn't really exist. Now I can let her go, and be done.

I close my eyes, trying to sleep. Maybe then I can get some reprieve from the sadness I feel.

Sleep doesn't come. Instead conversations, looks, and warm embraces play over and over in my mind. I sit up, struggling to reconcile what I feel for her in my heart with the fact that she left camp, she left me, and with what Eric produced as evidence.

I remember the beautiful girl I met in my classes last year. She was always respectful and kind to everyone around her. She was warm and genuine. I think about that day in February when she entered my office. I couldn't help but stare at her because the bright girl I knew from class was shattered and heartbroken. I never touch people, and I don't really like to be touched myself.

I surprised myself when I pulled her into my arms and held her that day. I think I needed her as much as she needed me. Holding her felt so _right._ We've never talked about that day.

Eric is right. I really am an idiot.

A complete idiot to believe a word Eric said, an idiot to doubt Tris for even a minute.

I do know her. In fact, I'm crazy about her, unlike anything I've ever felt before.

I allowed my insecurities and jealousy to cloud my judgement for a moment, and I will give Eric credit…he was convincing.

I do trust her.

Even if she was worried about Peter because of the beating I gave him, she would have made sure he was okay, but I know she isn't going back to him.

I jump up from the floor of my tent. I don't know where she went, but I need to find her.

I run out of the tent yelling for my friends to meet me at the fire pit.

"Guys, I don't care what it looks like. Tris would never go back to him. I don't know why she's not here, but I know she cares about me. And I…well, truth is I'm crazy about her. I've got to find her!" I spit out.

I am rewarded with smiles and encouragement. I get my hiking backpack and flashlight, we have a couple of hours before it gets dark, but just in case. Shauna reminds me that Roja is a great tracking dog. Marlene brings out her bathing suit that Tris was just wearing.

Everyone wishes me luck as I take off in search of Tris.

 **++o++**

I walk towards the main entrance of Aspenglen campgrounds, with Roja leading the way. I figure I'll check in with the ranger's station first in case they've seen her.

I enter the park ranger offices, glad I caught them right before they closed for the day. I look around the lobby and I see her. Tris is sitting on a bench with her gear at her feet, with her eyes red and puffy from crying. I do a double take because I was not expecting to see her here.

She doesn't notice me. She seems to be lost in thought while staring at the ground. I slowly approach.

"Penny for your thoughts," I say quietly when I am standing next to her.

She gasps and looks up, but the moment our eyes meet, she looks away and sniffles softly.

"Tris, come here. Please. Talk to me," I say. I sit down next to her and pull her into my arms to comfort her.

She pulls away and looks into my eyes.

"Four, I'm sorry. I ruined everything. All that drama, the things Peter said, and your fight with him…it scared me how violent you were with Peter…I just had to get away. I don't think I'm good for you."

"Is that what you think, that you aren't good for me?" I ask incredulously.

"Well, I'm not!" she snaps.

"Tris, I'm sorry…I've never lost control that way. When he had his hands on you, and then you got hurt…I lost control. I'm not proud of it, at all. It is something I am going to work on, I don't want that to ever happen again," I pause to reach over and check her chin, it is badly bruised but the skin didn't break. "I'm sorry I scared you, it won't happen again."

Tris nods, her eyes show understanding and forgiveness.

"Also, Peter is a jerk and Eric too," I say. "But nothing was ruined, especially not by you. It was one bad part of a great camping trip, that's all. No one is upset with you, Tris. In fact everyone was worried you left. Especially since Eric came back to camp and told us you had made up with Peter…" my voice trails off, the pain I felt creeping back to mind.

"What? Eric said that?" She looks confused.

"Yeah, he brought back Marlene's bikini and told us that you were riding back with them. He told me that you and Peter always break up and then make up," I finish painfully.

Tris places her hand on my cheek, searching my eyes. I frown because I had been so hurt at the idea of it all just being a sick game. She pulls me close, wrapping her arms around me. I allow myself to enjoy her warmth.

"That must have hurt you; I hate that Eric did that. But it's not true, Peter and I were _done_ before I even ran into you _,_ " she states firmly.

Tris looks confused for a moment, as though she is trying to work something out in her head.

"I didn't want to keep Mar's suit so I changed in the bathroom," she explains. "I then asked the woman at the Lost and Found to please deliver it back to your camp tonight. I even told her what lot number it was and watched her write down Marlene's name. I do remember Eric was in the lobby waiting for Peter, who was getting medical attention. I didn't even think he saw what I was doing at the Lost and Found. What an ass!"

I laugh with relief. Eric is a snake in the grass. We agree he probably offered to make the delivery himself.

I smile and pull her into my arms. She hugs me back.

After some time, the park rangers let us know they are locking up, telling Tris they can give her a ride to Estes Park if she still wants it.

"Tris, don't go. Please," I beg. "Stay with me."

She nods to the ranger.

"Thank you so much, but I won't be needing that ride after all," Tris says.

 **++o++**

As we have a couple more hours of light and our gear, we decide to go for a short hike. Before heading out, we see one of Hector's friends. I ask him to tell Zeke and Shauna that I found Tris, and tell them that Tris is safe and with me. He also takes Roja back to camp. He was one of the boys that ran to our camp during my fight with Peter. He tells us that he is glad things are settling down.

We walk in comfortable silence while holding hands. I run my fingertips down her palm, and she shivers and smiles. When we get to a pretty spot, I stop and pull her close to me. Tris wraps her arms tightly around me.

"I'm going to kiss you now, I mean _really kiss you,_ " I say while pulling her entire body tightly against mine. I feel her heartbeat quicken in anticipation.

I press my mouth to hers and immediately push my tongue into her mouth. I kiss her frantically, I need to feel her. I need to show her how much she means to me. One arm on my shoulder and the other gently pulling on the curls at the bottom of my head, Tris appears to be equally desperate for me.

We kiss for what feels like minutes, but the darkness of dusk tells us differently.

"Four, it's getting dark. We should head back to camp." Tris says slowly, alternating kisses to my lips, neck and cheek in between each word she whispers.

"I did bring a flashlight, so we could stay right here and keep kissing," I say hopefully, although Tris is already shaking her head no.

"I'm also starving, I am guessing there are some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches waiting for us." She giggles while grabbing my hand and leading me back towards camp.

 **++o++**

Everyone was so relieved when I brought Tris back to the camp. She admitted that she felt so bad about what happened with Peter and that she felt stressed that she may have ruined the trip. The group immediately put her at ease.

I now sit in my camping chair with Tris on my lap. We are sharing s'mores while snuggling. As much as I'm enjoying our last campfire with the group, I am anxious to get Tris back to our tent to be alone.

When no one is looking we steal short kisses and smile at each other. Tris bites her lower lip and leans down to kiss my neck.

"I wish we were alone," Tris whispers. My cheeks flush with excitement, I'm hoping she wants to be alone with me as much as I want to...and for the same reasons.

"Me too. We will be soon," I assure her.

As we are enjoying our beers, we go around and make toasts. When it's Zeke's turn, he holds up his beer. He has consumed his fair share of beers tonight.

"I want to make a toast to Tris. I've never seen my best friend as happy and alive as he has been this trip. And let me add," Zeke motions with his hands towards me and Tris, "I've never ever seen Four be so loving and affectionate. Who knew that the same girl that I've been hearing about for almost a year would be the one to join our camping trip? To Tris!" Zeke says, his voice full of emotion.

We all take a drink.

"Zeke, what did you mean…you've been hearing about me for a year?" Tris asks. She looks genuinely confused.

The entire group is silent, and Zeke's eyes widen as he takes a large drink from his beer.

I feel the blood rush to my cheeks as I lean over and kiss Tris on her shoulder. She turns to look at me, her eyebrows raised.

"On that note, I think Tris and I are going to call it a night. I do want to explain everything to her, but I also want to do it in private," I smile as the group laughs.

Zeke looks mortified and apologetic.

"It's okay, Zeke. I was going to tell her tonight anyway," I say to him.

We say goodnight and then use our lantern to walk to our tent. Tris leans up and kisses my cheek.

"Be ready to explain when we get to the tent," she teases me and then pinches my butt to stress her seriousness.

 **++o++**

Once we are inside the tent, with our shoes kicked off, I pull her into my arms, kissing her forehead.

"I _really_ care about you Tris, and I have for a while. I want you to know the truth," I begin.

She looks at me, confused. I clear my throat nervously.

"I've mentioned you a few times over the last year to Zeke," I confess. "I've always felt a connection to you. I would have loved to get to know you better, even as a friend. The truth is, part of me always wanted more from you…since the day I met you."

"Wow…Four. I'm actually shocked. I had no idea," Tris smiles at me. "So, why didn't you try to get to know me better?"

"First, I knew you had a boyfriend, and I had Nita. And second, you were so aloof…I was sure you were not even remotely attracted to me," I mumble.

Tris starts laughing while shaking her head, she sits on the sleeping bag still chuckling.

"Are you kidding? I had a crush on you the moment I laid eyes on you," she says, her eyes bright with excitement. "But in all fairness, I did decide not to think about you that way because so many girls were after you. It was annoying."

Tris explains her visualization exercise that kept her emotions in check. A sixty-year old with eight grandkids, ha!

"Also, right before Roja and I found you in the woods," I say in a rush, "the group played a game of Never Have I Ever. I admitted having a serious crush on you. Imagine my horror when Uri and Marlene knew exactly who I was talking about. When I brought you back to camp, everyone knew who you were already. I wasn't sure if they'd play it cool!"

Tris blushes and then moves closer to me. I hold my breath as she pulls me towards her for a kiss.

I cup her face and pull away from her so I can look at her, studying every feature on her face, committing this moment to memory. I have to tell her how I feel. I don't care if it's too fast. It's what my heart is telling me.

"I'm crazy about you…like nothing I've ever felt before," I smile at her nervously. "I've been waiting until the right moment to ask you something."

"The right moment? Ask me what?" she says, smiling too.

"Yeah," I whisper, "and I just don't want to frighten you."

"You can say _anything_ to me. You should know better, Four," Tris says.

"Fine, then here goes. I really like you, a lot. And I know this is fast, but I really want us to date…exclusively," I tell Tris.

Her eyes light up and a smile breaks out on her face.

"I would like that too, Four," she whispers.

"Tris, will you be my girlfriend?" I ask hopefully.

"Absolutely, now kiss me," she demands.

"Tris, you should know…my real name is Tobias," I whisper, before giving her a kiss.

 **++o++**

We spent hours talking about our lives, holding each other while lying on our sleeping bags. It's a much warmer night without the storm.

Our kisses are loving and slow, as I let my hands roam up and down her body. She pauses and guides my hands under her shirt as I explore her body.

"Tris," I moan her name softly as I discover she isn't wearing a bra. My need for her is overwhelming.

"Four, I don't want to go too fast - at least not having sex tonight," Tris whispers while resting her forehead to mine.

"Neither do I," I nod in agreement. "I really want this to work. There's no rush. Let's really get to know each other. I want to know every part of you."

"Well, when you say things like that, you make it hard to be wise," Tris moans while deepening our kiss and rolling onto her back and pulling me with her.

"Tris," I whisper as I situate myself on top of her. I know she can feel how much I want her.

With her lips parted and panting, I can see the lust in her eyes. She wraps her legs around me and pulls off my shirt. Her hands touch my chest and then she pulls me close. I lay down, letting her feel exactly what she does to me. She moans with desire upon feeling my body's reaction to her. I softly pull her lower lip with my teeth in a teasing way before kissing her again.

I kiss her jaw, her neck, I slowly kiss each of her ravens as she whimpers. My hands explore her perfect breasts as I lower my mouth while moving her shirt down one shoulder. Her moans encourage me on.

Suddenly I feel her tense, a frown appears on her face. I pull her shirt back up her shoulder.

"Four, what Peter said about me - the frigid thing." Her cheeks get red as she clears her throat. "Peter and I had a terrible sex life, thanks to the combination of his excessive drinking and me not being happy in the relationship. But...I don't think...I mean…."

"Tris, I wasn't worried for even a second that you and I are going to have any issues in the passion department. I already know how you react to me. When the time comes, when we are both ready...we are going to be together. Don't worry about that, okay?" I assure her.

"And let me assure you, my 'delivery' percentages will meet with your satisfaction," I promise her confidently with a teasing smile.

Her breath hitches before she runs the tip of her tongue across her lips. "I'm going to hold you to that," Tris says excitedly.

She laughs and pulls me close.

 **++o++**

"We should be getting back to Boulder mid-afternoon at the latest. May I take you out on a date tomorrow night?" I ask hopefully as I kiss her neck. "I'd like to take you to The Mediterranean for dinner. After, we can walk around Pearl Street if you are up for it."

"Four, I would love to go on a date with you tomorrow. But we don't need to eat at such a fancy restaurant," Tris says firmly, stopping to look me. "I just want to spend time with you. Let's eat at Chipotle, which is also on Pearl Street."

"It's our first real date, let me spoil you," I whisper.

Tris blushes but agrees. I kiss her nose.

"We can agree that our second date will be at Chipotle, which I think should be on Thursday," I assure her while she giggles and nods in agreement.

I pull her into my arms so we can go to sleep.

"Goodnight, Tris," I whisper.

"Goodnight, Four," she whispers, kissing me one last time before she falls asleep in my arms.

It was a _rough_ start, but it became the start of something beautiful.

 **++o+ Story End +o++**

 **Story title** **:** **Camping & Roughing It**

 **FOUR Part One-Shot**

 **++++o++++ ++++o++++ ++++o++++**

Author's Note:

Hello Readers!

Happy 4th of July! Thank you for reading and those of you that comment! It means a lot to me! I loved writing this AU Fourtris and I plan to write more as ideas come to me. Thank you the encouraging words.

~ FourTrisHEA

 **++++o++++ ++++o++++ ++++o++++**


	6. OS3: Peace Serum and a Favor

**One-shot: Peace Serum and a Favor**

 **General (T) Rated Version**

 _Author's Note:_

 _Alternate scene to Amity and Peace Serum. Completely different than the book, this is pure fluff. This is for fun, not meant to be in line with how Tris and Four would behave in Roth's Divergent Series. Huge shout out to avid Fourtris Fanfic readers for helping me with this story, KIWIPIE BEATS DAUNTLESSCAKE_ _and especially BK2U_ _for her awesome editing skills._

 _Enjoy!_

 _~ FourTrisHEA_

 _PS - there is also a Mature (M) version of this one shot. I will be posting that chapter in a new story that is M Rated FourTris One-shots and Short Stories. FF net is being finicky right now!_

 **++o++**

 **Part I: Working for Our Keep**

 ***Four POV***

I get up and navigate myself around the bales of hay I have been stacking for the last hour. The sun's heat is beating down on my back as I power through my assigned chores. While we hide in Amity, we are working for our keep. Being a good member of the community and contributing is part of our agreement.

I cringe remembering the look of horror on the faces of the Amity faction members as Tris and Peter were torn apart from their fight. " _Just go. You need to cool down,"_ I told Tris as two Amity men gently led her away, saying something about protocol for breaking our peace agreement.

Tris is going to be upset that I didn't step in to get her out of the situation. She does need to calm down, though; she has been wound so tightly since we got here. It's unnerving. I just want her to be herself. The truth is, she could use some time in whatever _Amity Peace, Love, and Friendship_ protocol they have in place.

An image of a room — full of pillows, smelling of incense, and with soothing music playing — crosses my mind.

Shit.

Who am I kidding? She may kill me the next time she sees me.

Slowly releasing my breath, I look around; there is no one in sight. I have been out here alone the entire time, and not once has anyone come this way. When I was given this assignment, it was mentioned that I should wait on the heavy, labor-intensive chores until the sun was not as strong. Knowing I would be here alone was more tempting than waiting for a cooler time of day.

I walk over to the lake; I really need to cool off. Looking around again to ensure that no one is around, I slip off my shirt. I don't want my clothes to get wetter than they have to be while I take a quick swim. I am always careful to keep my back and tattoo covered, and I'm thankful no one is here to see me. Walking down the dock with my shirt in hand, I feel the sun's strong rays beating down on me. I think it is getting hotter with every moment that passes. Dropping my shirt at my feet, I look around once more. No one is here, so I begin unbuttoning my pants, then lowering them down my hips. I am wearing navy blue boxer shorts that I will keep on while I swim.

I just need a few minutes to cool down and stretch my muscles in the water. Once I'm stripped down to nothing but my shorts, I dive into the lake and allow myself to submerge into the coolness. I can close my eyes and let everything go — all of the stress and all of the worry that have been weighing heavily on me — and focus instead on Tris.

I am in love with Tris Prior, and she needs me now more than ever. Losing her parents has shaken her to her core.

It is more than just simple love that I feel for her. She is all I have, all I want.

I will always watch out for her. I will be her family now, just as she is mine. I haven't told her yet, but one day I will.

I rise to the water's surface. As much as I would enjoy swimming longer, I need to get dressed and check on Tris. Per her schedule of chores, she should be weaving baskets right now in the main hall. I can't imagine their fluffy timeout would take that long.

Hoisting myself up onto the dock, I stand to retrieve my shirt and pants. I don't want them to get wet, so I try to shake some of the water off of me before picking them up. Clothing in hand, I am walking back towards the field when I hear Tris call my name.

Sharply turning my head, I watch as she steps out of the line of trees. Quickly scanning the area to make sure that she is alone, I release the tension in my shoulders.

"Four! Where are you?" she calls out. Her voice sounds strange, different. I am also surprised her sharp eyes haven't spotted me already since I am standing out in the open.

"Tris!" I yell while quickly walking towards her, the clothes in my hand forgotten. A sudden twist of my stomach alerts me that something may be amiss.

For a moment, I see her eyes slowly rake up and down my body, her tongue licking her lower lip.

What is wrong with her?

My thoughts are interrupted as Tris stumbles towards me, almost falling. I quickly place my hands on her waist to steady her. Suddenly, her arms wrap around me as she pulls her body closely against mine in a way she never has before.

I open my mouth to ask her a question, but I forget the question the moment she kisses me. Her tongue slips between my lips, demanding attention. For a moment, I forget where we are, forget what just happened, and forget what I am wearing. My eyes close, and I revel in our kiss.

Just like her, the kiss is strong and demands reciprocation. Our tongues slowly move together, and the kiss becomes more forceful. A small whimper escapes her, sending my stomach into a twist.

I snap out of my trance as I feel her hands firmly press up and then down my chest, moving dangerously close to the waistband of my shorts. Tris hums her approval, and her fingers press down on my lower abdominal muscles.

As her fingertips trace the waistband of my shorts, I teeter between being in utter shock and desperately wanting to see if she will allow her hands to go further, to go lower.

Reason wins.

"Tris," I say while pushing away her hands. "What did they do to you? You're acting like a lunatic."

She pulls away from me and pouts, biting down on her lower lip and furrowing her brows. "Gee, Tobias. That wasn't very nice. They put me in a good mood, that's all. I would say a great mood. I'm so happy I found you," she purrs.

My eyes widen as I watch her instantly change from pouting to flashing the brightest smile I have ever seen on her. This smile is at least five times larger than when she found out she came in first place during initiation.

"Oh, Tobias. This is a really good look for you. Your body is amazing, I think that we should go back into the water. You can finish getting undressed, and I will also take off—" Her arms wrap around me as her fingertips begin pushing my wet shorts down.

"Tris! Stop, please!" I demand, untangling myself from her firm grasp and quickly pushing her hands away from my shorts.

Tris smiles mischievously at me, and my heart skips a beat because I have no idea what she will do or say next.

"You're right, Tobias, I'm not being fair. You are so much further ahead of me, I need to catch up." She giggles and takes a step back from me while grabbing the bottom of her shirt and pulling it up.

It takes a moment for me to react but I catch her hands and pull her shirt back down. She giggles some more and attempts to pull it up again, then bursts out laughing as I make her pull it down.

"Tris Prior, I don't know what is going on here, but you need to keep your clothes on!" I snap, simultaneously pulling on my pants and stopping her from peeling her clothes off. All the while she is laughing at me as though we are playing a game.

"We should kiss, and hard. Well, ok, not hard. When I say hard I mean make out. I want to really kiss. I really enjoy kissing you. And after seeing you all wet, and your amazing chest... Oh, Tobias, I felt things that I've never felt before," Tris says as she steps forward and runs her hands up and down my chest.

"I'm not going to kiss you. I need to find out what is going on," I snap, pulling Tris's hands into mine. I would rather hold her hands than allow them to keep roaming up and down my body.

She frowns as I tell her we are going to see Johanna for answers. Now that she has forgotten about her desire to get undressed, I've managed to throw my shirt back on.

"I'd rather find somewhere we can be alone, without Johanna. I prefer she not watch us make out," Tris whines as she takes a step away from me, almost stumbling to the ground.

"Come on, for God's sake. I'll just carry you," I huff, realizing that having her walk will make it take five times longer.

I frown, scooping her into my arms. I hold her with one arm under her knees and the other around her back as Tris wraps her arms around my shoulders and kisses my cheek.

As I storm over to Johanna's office, I try to ignore the way Tris is kissing my neck and nibbling on my earlobe.

 **++o++**

 **Part II: Letting it Wear Off**

 ***Four POV***

"Tris! I said no," I say as I gently push her away from me again. When I say again, I mean for the tenth time in the last two hours.

"Why won't you just stay with me? You're my boyfriend, you should want to spend time with me," she whines. I feel a pang of guilt; she's actually starting to sound hurt.

No. I remind myself that this is the serum talking. Remembering what Johanna told me, this is temporary and they gave her way too much.

Those idiots.

At least we learned to avoid the bread.

"You are really leaving me again?" Tris mutters as she crosses her arms around herself. This time I do feel a stab in my heart. Of course I want to stay with her, but she is making it really hard for me.

Her hands have been desperately roaming everywhere whenever she gets the chance, and when she bit my lower lip while kissing me earlier my desire for her couldn't be ignored. The pull in my lower stomach almost sent me over the edge.

Another time I checked on her, she had stripped down to her bra and underwear and tried to lure me into her bed. I immediately had to turn around and walk out as I barked at her to get her damned clothes on.

She's also told me that she wants us to have "hot sex", and that I should find protection so we can be safe.

"Tris, I am getting my chores along with your chores for today finished." I pause to cup her cheek. "I love you, too, but I just can't stay here. You will understand soon enough. I promise."

She bites her cheek, and her eyes look sad. "Yeah, I'm starting to understand."

"Tris, come on," I mumble, pulling her into my arms for a hug. I kiss the top of her head.

She snuggles closer to me and I breathe a sigh of relief. I don't want to hurt her, but I won't take advantage of this situation, either. One day. One day when she is really ready we will do all of those things.

"Tobias, will you kiss me before you go this time?" she whispers. "Please?"

I cup her face gently. I want to stay with her. I would like nothing more than to remind Johanna we are in this mess because of her people, and that she should find someone else to complete today's chores.

But Tris is so persistent, and I want her so badly. I need to be wise and stay away from her.

I kiss her softly, pursing my lips closed. She doesn't try to deepen the kiss this time. I kiss her forehead and then say goodbye. I remind her I will be back later to check on her.

Tris gives me a sad smile while nodding and waving goodbye.

I sigh as I close her room door behind me. I hope this serum wears off soon. I'm guessing her sad look means it is starting to.

Good. The sooner the better. I want my Tris back.

 **++o++**

 **Part III: I Did You a Favor**

 ***Four POV***

"Tris?" I say for the second time as I continue to knock on the door to her room. I've learned the hard way that I need to make her promise she has _all_ of her clothes on before I enter the room. She tricked me earlier, although technically, I guess wearing undergarments counts as wearing clothes.

I'm hopeful for a moment; maybe the serum has worn off and she is brooding in the corner or something.

"Alright, I'm coming in," I say. Opening the door, I see she isn't here. I've made it a point to lock her door from the outside, so she has to be here. Seeing she isn't around, I quickly walk through the room to enter the bathroom. I hadn't come in here before, and my stomach falls when I see the setup is a Jack and Jill bathroom that opens up to another room. The room I am staying in has a simple bathroom — it didn't even occur to me that she would have another exit available.

Damn it! She is gone. I storm through the other room and I see that the door to the main hallway is not even closed properly. I also have no idea how long ago Tris left. I last checked on her about forty-five minutes ago. I frown, pushing away the immediate sense of dread that settles in my stomach. I should have stayed with her, I could have controlled myself.

Or tied her up. That would have worked, too.

I begin running through the dormitory in search of her, stopping anyone I see to ask if they have seen her. No one has. I then head outside to continue my search for Tris.

I recognize one of the men that escorted Tris away. He probably is the one that gave her the too-large dosage of the peace serum. I run over to him.

"Have you seen Tris? She isn't herself, and she got out of her room," I say tersely.

His shoulders slump. "Yeah, I just got an earful from Johanna. It was an honest mistake. I did see her about twenty minutes ago, she was with Robert. He transferred from Abnegation this year. They seemed to be friends," he finishes.

I frown. Who is Robert? And then I remember him, Susan's brother, now a part of Amity. I breathe a sigh of relief. At least she is with someone she knows — someone who knows her and will hopefully keep an eye on her.

I also remember him from initiation, the boy that hugged Tris and had words with Molly. He is harmless. I chuckle, remembering my interactions with Tris that day. Not being involved with her at that point, it feels now like a lifetime ago. We have come so far.

"Do you know which way they went?" I ask him, hoping he saw the direction Robert and Tris were walking.

"Yeah, they were headed towards the orchards," he says as he waves and runs off.

I quickly walk in that direction. When I get closer, I start calling out her name.

"Tobias?" I hear her voice to my left as she slowly steps out from behind a tree. "Tobias, why are you here?" she finishes in a cheerful but inquisitive tone.

I sigh before turning to face her. I can still hear the serum effects in her voice. She is not over it yet.

She steps closer to me, but for the first time since taking the serum she doesn't launch herself into my arms or try to touch me.

That should have been my first clue.

My eyes widen when I see her up close. The first thing I notice are her lips: they are swollen, almost as though she had been punched. Or aggressively kissed. Frowning, I step closer to examine her, and she smiles at me. Then I see it. She has a large love bite on the side of her slim neck.

And it's not from me.

My stomach lurches, and I feel a combination of anger and fear. What the hell happened to her, what is going on?

"Well, I'm glad you are here. I did you a favor!" Tris says cheerfully.

I brace myself as she continues.

"I could tell you just really didn't like me, or want to be with me. So, I found a new boyfriend!" she confesses, looking at me as though she just baked me my favorite Dauntless cake. "So, now you don't have to waste your time with me. No more checking in on me and telling me, 'No, Tris,' or 'Not now, Tris,' or 'Don't touch me, Tris.' That was no fun for you! I love you, Tobias. I just want you to be happy."

I look away from her, blinking away the tears in my eyes. I feel a combination of rage and terrible guilt. Rage at her new replacement boyfriend, one who has obviously touched her since she didn't give herself that mark on her neck. And guilt over how I made her feel rejected and like she's a burden, so much so that she thinks she is doing me a favor by leaving me.

"Okaaaay then, I can see you don't care about this either way. And that's okay. I am doing you a favor so that you don't need to worry about me ever again. I have this new boyfriend, and he told me that he will be very happy to take care of me. He also promised to meet all of my needs. I'm not quite sure what he means by that, but he sure sounded happy when he promised it." Tris gives me a small wave before finishing, "Well, I do love you, Tobias. But, I'd rather you be happy. So, consider me gone. Bye!"

I grab her wrist and pull her to face me. My eyes settle on her thoroughly-kissed lips and the love mark on her slim neck.

I can't stop myself from asking, "Did you have sex with him?"

She blinks for a moment, and I suddenly feel as though a part of me is going to combust and I will destroy everyone around me. Her brows furrow; she seems confused that I am asking her this.

"He wanted to. Well, he asked me, I should say. So, I said okay. I mean, why not?" she answers sweetly and with a giggle.

"Ouch, Tobias. You are squeezing my wrist too hard. Gee, you must not know your own strength," she laughs.

I bite my lip and control my breathing to try and fight the urge I have to grab her by the shoulders and shake it out of her. I am screaming on the inside. I want to kill someone like I have never wanted to before.

"Go on," I mumble as I relax my grasp. I wasn't even aware of how tightly I was holding her.

"He didn't have any condoms. But, he rushed off to get some. I guess they hand them out like candy in this faction." She laughs as though remembering something. "He told me they even have flavored ones! Can you imagine?"

My mouth is now hanging open; I am not even sure if this is actually happening to me, to us.

I've heard about flavored condoms from Zeke. He always insists on having them handy for when a girl, or now Shauna in particular, is willing to go down—okay, I am seriously going to kill someone. With my bare hands.

"So you kissed…and I see he kissed your neck…what else did your new 'boyfriend' show you?" I demand. I fight to keep the venom out of my voice.

"That was all, we were out here. No real privacy. He actually pulled me against that tree, the one right over there." Tris points towards the right. There is a large tree with a firm trunk. "He wanted to do more, with his hands. But, I said no. It just didn't feel right being outside against a tree."

I frown and nod; at least she is okay. They kissed and he gave her a love bite. She will be upset when the serum wears off, but she didn't give herself completely to this asshole who I intend to kill with my bare hands.

"I have to go, he must be waiting for me by now. He told me to hurry and meet him at the dormitories." Tris looks sad for a brief moment before a large smile settles on her face. "Goodbye, Tobias. You are so handsome." She gently touches my cheek, and I feel a terrible pang in my stomach. Even with knowing that this isn't my Tris, it kills me to hear her dismissal. "I'm sure your next girlfriend will be so pretty, and tall. I think your next girlfriend should be tall. I've given it a lot of thought."

"Tris, please stop," I mumble painfully. She is killing me, and she doesn't even see it. She actually looks really proud of herself, as though setting me free is the most wonderful favor.

"Hopefully, she can make you happy." Tris bites her lip for a moment, "I wish I could have made you happy. Please don't tell my new boyfriend or your new girlfriend – but I still love you. Shhhhhh. Our little secret."

"Tris, I love you, too," I promise her.

She looks confused for a moment, and then shrugs off my declaration. "You are really handsome. I wish you weren't wearing a shirt so I could admire your chest just once more. Oh, well, I've gotta go! Bye!"

"Wait! I wouldn't be a gentleman if I didn't walk you to meet your new boyfriend," I point out.

"Meet him? Why do you care to meet him? I'm only with a new guy because you aren't into me. I don't want to waste any more of your time," she says matter-of-factly.

"Not at all, what's his name again? Richard?" I push her for information.

"Richard, ha! No, his name is Robert, and I've known him a really long time. When we were in Abnegation, and Caleb and his sister Susan were making eyes at each other, I always thought that if we had both stayed in grey that we would have gotten married!" Tris giggles over this while walking along. "How funny!"

Yeah, hilarious.

"But, when you and I started dating, I knew that if _we_ had both stayed in Abnegation, we would have found each other. I wonder what a life in Abnegation would have been like, as your wife, of course," she adds offhandedly.

I follow closely behind her as she leads me to a different dormitory than the one where we are staying. And that's when I see him. He is tall and lanky, with curly blond hair and a wide nose.

I am going to break that nose in about twenty seconds.

He doesn't immediately see me. No, he is too busy smiling at Tris and looking her body up and down. He is probably planning his moves once he gets her into his bed. I then see the small brown paper bag in his hand — condoms, I'm sure. I crack my knuckles as we approach.

He bites his lip and smiles broadly as Tris approaches. I've made it a point to fall a few feet behind her and off to the side. Once we are close, she waves to him.

"Tris, come on. We are all set. Let's go," he says excitedly while extending his hand to her.

Before she can place her hand in his, I announce myself.

"Hello, Robert, what may I ask are you 'all set' for?" I hiss.

The look of absolute horror changes his face in an instant. He drops the bag on the floor and puts up his arms to block his face.

"Wait! Four! This isn't what it looks like!" he cries. He looks at Tris desperately. "Tell him — you told me that you wanted a new boyfriend."

Tris looks absolutely lost over what is happening between Robert and me. Her eyes are wide as she looks back and forth between us. She has no idea what is really going on here.

Robert makes one more desperate plea: "Tris wanted me! She was so sad, she came onto me. I swear—"

He doesn't get to finish the sentence, because at hearing him try to place the blame on her, I lose it. I swiftly punch his nose and watch as he screeches in pain, blood pouring out in large spurts.

Maybe, just maybe, if her new boyfriend was an unknown person, I would have entertained the possibility that this was really a huge misunderstanding on the guy's part. I can tell he is lying to me. She may have said all of those things, word for word even, but he knew the moment he saw me that he was taking advantage of her.

Taking advantage of _my_ damned girlfriend. I will end him.

I tune out the shouts and gasps I hear around me as I grab Robert by the collar and drag him away from the crowd. I don't want Tris or anyone else to get hurt.

I throw him to the ground and jump on top of him as I deliver blow after blow. Now people are screaming and crying for help, but not one Amity lifts a single finger to intervene. There are at least ten men just standing by and watching.

When I hear the cry of a small child, I am able to reel myself back in. I turn towards the sound and I see that an Amity woman is quickly ushering her terrified child away from the crowd that has formed. I slowly breathe in and out to calm myself before looking down at this bastard.

Robert is moaning and incoherently begging for forgiveness and mercy. The urge to hit him returns; he makes me sick. I close my eyes, desperately pushing away images of his mouth on her neck, his body close to Tris's while he backs her up against a tree.

I have to stop now, or I never will.

I stand up. "You are a disgusting bastard! How dare you take advantage of Tris when it's obvious she isn't in her right mind, all because of your damned peace serum! You are lucky I don't kill you!" I scream.

"Is this true!?" I hear someone yell. I turn to see Johanna standing next to Tris. Johanna then turns to Tris, looking her over, her eyes lingering on the love mark on her neck.

Johanna and Tris exchange words I can't hear. Tris looks stunned while Johanna's expression morphs into one of anger.

Johanna summons her team and tells them to deposit Robert in the infirmary, and to make sure he does not take one step out of his room until she personally deals with him.

Turning to me, Johanna looks apologetic. "Four, I don't know what to say. This has never happened…"

"Save it! I don't care what does or doesn't happen here. All I care about is Tris! Find someone else to handle our chores for today and tomorrow while you are at it. I need to take care of her now. She is still under that damned serum!" I hiss.

Johanna nods and then points to Tris, who has already started to walk away from the crowd.

I nod and run after her.

"Tris!" I shout as she keeps walking. "Tris, please wait!"

Finally catching up to her, I say her name again softly.

I am surprised to see she has tears streaming down her face, her eyes flashing anger. "Why did you do that to Robert? Why?! I don't understand you, Four!" she yells.

"Don't call me Four. You don't get to use my name as a weapon. I am Tobias for you, only for you," I finish, my eyes pleading with her to let me in. Her calling me Four is a painful reminder that Tris is pulling away from me, that I am losing her.

"You have been pushing me away and rejecting me all day long. You no longer want to be _anything_ to me, which we talked about already, remember?! You didn't care when I told you all about Robert and your new freedom. So, what is it?!" She pauses to breathe. "Do you hate me? Do you just want me to be alone?"

I cringe. She may as well have slapped me. Do I hate her? I would die to protect her.

"I've decided you are not a nice person, Tobias Eaton!" she yells. "And even though I still love you, I can't be treated this way. It hurts me too much."

I smile at her, there it is. She loves me. I love her. This damned serum needs to wear off.

"I'm glad I amuse you. How typical!" She waves me off as she turns and begins stomping off again.

I swoop in behind her and carry her as I did earlier today. This time she hits my shoulders with her small fists. I immediately notice Tris is not using any force. She isn't really trying to hurt me or get free. She is just hurt and angry.

I plan to rectify that.

I know just where to take her.

 **++o++**

 **Part IV: You Are Mine, and I Am Yours**

 ***Four POV***

I carry her to the far storage barn at the end of the Amity property. I know from my chores that this barn has been completely filled with hay and we can be alone here. Amity has moved on to filling its other barns with supplies.

Tris stopped fighting me a few minutes ago and has settled down, just wrapping her arms around my neck and resting her head on my shoulder. Neither one of us has said a word in quite a while.

I set her on the ground when we arrive at the barn entrance.

"What are we doing here?" she asks curiously. Her eyes light up with excitement at something new and unknown.

"I brought you here so we can reconnect. I want to make you happy and make you feel loved," I say softly.

"Hmmm, no thank you. Is that the only reason we came all the way out here?" Tris says briskly.

I don't answer her because my mouth is hanging open in shock.

Tris sighs. "I can find my own way back. Bye, Tobias."

I frown while pulling her to me. I study her face, her eyes still look sad. I think my numerous refusals have really hurt her. Shit. I need to fix this.

"Tris, please hear me out," I whisper as I lean down to kiss her forehead. I stare deep into her eyes. It's as though my glance is too much for her. Her eyes flash with pain, and then she closes them while still resting her forehead against mine. At least she isn't moving away.

I use this opportunity to talk while she is willing to be still and listen.

"Tris Prior, I love you. You are mine, and I am yours. I know you don't see it right now, but soon this fog you are in will lift. And you will be your true self again. After your fight with Peter, they gave you a peace serum dosage that was too large. So, you are not making decisions that you would normally make. It will just be temporary, and soon you will go back to normal," I finish quietly.

She opens her eyes and looks at me as though processing my words. Finally, she nods slowly.

"And now, I want to apologize. I wish I could go back to earlier in the day and be more sensitive or kinder. But, you already know I struggle with that," I say as she nods emphatically in agreement. I chuckle as I continue, "I would never want to hurt you, or take advantage of you. All of my rejections today were because I wanted to respect you. It had nothing to do with me not wanting you."

Tris smiles and looks pleased before laughing and throwing her arms around me.

"So, you do like me?" she demands while moving to study my face.

"Absolutely. You are the person I 'like' the most in the entire world," I tell her honestly. "I want you, Tris. In that way…but not like this. When this passes, you will understand. Just trust me, okay?" I plead.

She thinks it over as I pull her by the hand into the barn. It is getting much cooler as the sun is setting and the wind is picking up.

"Tobias?" she asks.

"Yeah, Tris?" I respond while looking around the barn. It is as I remember seeing it a couple of days ago. I can tell that no one has been back here since. I turn on the oil lantern while throwing some blankets over a sturdy pile of bales that will work well as a makeshift bed. I am so tired, but I know I won't sleep until she is over the serum. I won't risk her wandering off and getting into trouble.

I will not be letting Tris out of my sight.

Tris clears her throat as she watches me intently. "I really want to be close to you. And I don't think that it's because of the serum. I've always wanted that."

My mouth goes dry as my heart beats quickly; I gulp and nod as she steps closer to me.

"If I promise to keep my hands to myself, can we hold each other? Could we just kiss? We did that a lot before the serum," she whispers as her fingertips gently glide up my arm.

My Adam's apple bobs once, and I nod my head before finally speaking.

"I'd really like that." I slowly pull her towards me and capture her lips with mine.

My heart is crushed when she winces, realizing her lips must be sore from making out with Robert. I'm not mad at her. But I am mad, really mad. I pull back and kiss her forehead, her jaw, and her cheek.

Only then do I taste the salty tears on her face; she is crying.

"Tris? What's wrong?" I demand as I look at her face.

She shakes her head as though to say nothing. I frown and pull her down on the blanket with me, holding her tightly to my body. I kiss her forehead, encouraging her to talk.

"Do you not want to kiss me anymore…because of what I did with Robert?" she asks meekly. Her eyes fill with tears again. "Did I hurt you?"

I sigh and take her hands in mine, slowly kissing each finger. This quickly diverts her attention, and she begins laughing, forgetting her concern for my hurt feelings, which is not like her.

Yeah, still under the serum, I see.

"Tris, we will talk about all of this later. I promise. I was only frowning because I could tell that your lips are a little sore, and I don't want to hurt you," I say.

Tris gives me the biggest smile and rolls over so I am under her, taking me by surprise.

"So, you do want to kiss me!" She laughs as she leans down to press her lips to mine. This time I welcome her affections.

She gently nips at my lower lip, eliciting a deep groan from me.

She pauses to smile at me before saying, "I have really good news for you! And I swear this is true. You are a much better kisser than my other boyfriend. He is awful in comparison to you."

I want to be mad, but instead I laugh, knowing that it must be true. She would probably offer me tips if she thought Robert was better. And then I'd have to visit the infirmary to finish him off.

"Tris. Never ever call that jerk your boyfriend again. I am your only boyfriend, okay?" I ask her seriously.

Tris murmurs as she pushes her body closer to me, "You are my only boyfriend, got it."

We lay close with our arms around each other, and I gently rub her back as our tongues move slowly in sync. We take breaks to kiss the other person's face, jaw, neck. I force myself not to react when I see his mark on her skin.

Our kisses become more frantic, and I can feel my body getting very excited, especially as she lies on top of me. I kiss her while trying to think about other things that will push my lustful thoughts away.

Suddenly, Tris sits up while sitting on my lap, pulling me up with her. She smiles mischievously.

I smirk at her and shake my head no.

"What? How do you know that your answer will be no?" She laughs.

"I know because I can see the look in your eyes." I laugh back.

Tris rolls her eyes and leans closer to gently peck my lips. Her brief kiss leaves me wanting more. More of her, that is.

"I know you want to play it safe. But, I know for a fact, because who could ever forget, that we have held each other and kissed while you were not wearing a shirt." Tris smiles as her hands find the bottom of my shirt and slowly begin to pull it up.

I blush because technically she is correct, but I also know that we are both so tightly wound that things could get intense fast. I smile at her as she pulls my shirt off, deciding that I will be sure we don't lose control.

The way that her eyes rake up and down my chest almost kills me. When our eyes meet, she actually blushes while leaning closer to whisper in my ear. "I want you, Tobias Eaton. I want you to make love to me." She then nibbles on my earlobe as she did earlier today. It sends a zing directly to my groin.

I close my eyes and think of the attack on Abnegation and the terrible things we have seen in recent days. It is the only thing that stops me from flipping us over and making her mine completely.

One day, I know we will take that step. When it is the right time.

"Just kissing. We made a deal," I remind her as she nods in agreement.

We kiss passionately for hours, her hands roaming all over my shirtless body. I have to stop her hands from roaming too far south a couple of times, her eyes hungry for me. She is very complimentary in her comments about my body, about the way I make her feel, my face turning tomato red on more than one occasion, which makes her giggle harder. For a moment, I am just thankful we are not in reversed roles. I would have to be chained to a wall to keep from making love to her. And I can't even imagine the things I'd say.

As the hours pass, we take breaks for short naps. I should say, Tris naps while I watch her closely. I will not be letting her out of my sight. I just watch her lovingly and smile as she makes adorable noises in her sleep, sometimes even biting her lower lip while she sleeps.

Suddenly, her eyes pop open from a deep sleep and I smile at her, expecting a cheerful greeting.

The moment she scowls and her eyes flash anger, I realize that my girl is back.

And she is livid.

 **++o++**

 **Part V: The Wrath of Tris**

 ***Four POV***

"I will kill them, I will kill them all," Tris growls as she quickly sits up and begins looking for her work boots. We kicked off our shoes hours ago.

She looks down at me and glares. "What are you waiting for? You are going to help me. I can't believe those idiots! How dare they! And Robert!? How could he? I've known him my entire life. We'll start with him," she says coldly.

She picks up my shoes and throws them at me roughly, scowling again. "What are you waiting for, Tobias?" she hisses. She is so angry, I feel a little bit of pity for the people on her list.

I sigh and pull her close to me. "Tris, Robert is in the infirmary. I almost… Let's just say I lost it on him, and that is not a good thing. And Johanna is dealing with the rest. It was a mistake, the large dosage they gave you."

Tris begins to relax in my arms. Moments later, she pulls away and starts to get up. "I need to go," Tris mumbles while not looking at me.

I hear the quiver in her voice; frowning, I grab her hand and pull her back to me.

"Tris, talk to me, please," I ask her softly.

She is looking anywhere but at me. I wait for her to be ready. I will wait all night if necessary.

She breathes roughly to calm herself. Her eyes finally meet mine. She looks pained, and my stomach does a flip.

Tris shakes her head as though in disbelief. "The things I've said to you today. The way I have acted. Worse than anything, I can't believe I kissed someone else. I… I'm so sorry, I feel awful. You were my only… You were my everything before, and now you aren't." She begins crying, sobs wracking her small frame.

I gulp to push my tears away. I know she needs me to be strong now.

"Tris Prior, look at me right now!" I say forcefully, showing no pity or sympathy for her, even though my heart is aching with guilt.

She frowns at me, but nods for me to continue. She slowly breathes in and out to calm herself.

"What happened today with Robert doesn't count. You were under a serum, and I played a role as well. You didn't do anything wrong. If I hadn't hurt you so badly all day long…" my voice cracks painfully, and I can't even finish the sentence.

The heavy guilt I have been carrying tumbles back onto me.

"I'm so sorry, Tris, I'm the one who failed you. I should have taken better care of you. This is all my fault—" I manage to get out before Tris kisses me.

I am stunned as she forcefully pushes her lips against mine. I pull her in and hug her in response, and she moves closer to sit on my lap so we are facing each other while kissing frantically.

I moan her name as she moves to kiss my jaw, my cheeks, and the tip of my nose. She smiles at me mischievously, and for a moment I worry the serum has kicked back in.

She laughs. "It's still me, Tobias."

"Thank God, I don't want to push you away. Never again," I growl as I kiss her forcefully.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. I forgive you, although I really don't feel that there is anything to forgive. It was an accident that I was able to leave that room. As for you 'hurting' me all day long, all you did was treat me with respect and not let me get ahead of myself. What I mean is — you did nothing wrong, Tobias," she says emphatically.

Tris does have one last 'favor' for me. She gives me a love bite of my own on my neck where all can see it. She wants to make sure everyone knows I'm hers. I return the favor as I kiss her stomach before reverentially marking her body. It is the most sensual thing I have ever done. We both agree that my more personal love bite outweighs the one Robert made.

We stay in the barn that night. I calm her down a couple more times when her anger resumes, and we show each other the love that has been there all along. We talk and laugh and finally embrace, ready to fall asleep in each other's arms.

As we hold each other in the dark, my mind wanders to how much I love her, and how I want to get through this war and then have a life with her. I want it all. I think about the big secret I am keeping from her, about Evelyn and the factionless.

"Tobias? Are you still awake?" Tris whispers.

"I am," I say while kissing her forehead.

Tris places her hand on my cheek so we can look at each other.

"I need to tell you something. I don't want any secrets between us. I've been afraid to tell you, but now I need to. I need you to know me, all of me. Good and bad," she whispers, her voice trembling.

The moment the words leave her lips, I know what I must do. I trust her, more than anyone.

We speak at the same time, both eager to share our secrets and unburden ourselves while letting the other person in to share in our struggles.

"It's about Will…"

"I need to tell you about my mother…"

 **++o Story End o++**


	7. OS4: The Bad Date

**_Title_** ** _: The Bad Date (One Shot - T version)_**

 ** _Summary_** ** _:_** **An online first date gone bad. A guy with a bad attitude and a pushy demeanor may be too much for Tris to handle. Will a handsome dark-haired stranger come to her rescue in time?**

 **Part I: Getting Ready**

 **** Tris POV ****

Hmmm, what to wear tonight?

Running my own events planning business always has me on my feet, or I should say it always has me in heels. Whether I am coordinating a high school reunion, bar mitzvah or a five-hundred person wedding, appearances are everything. I'm paid top dollar to appear calm and collected at all times while running their show _flawlessly_. It's a high stress job, but I love it. The thrill I get after a successful event is incredible. Even so, I am really tired of dressing to the nines since I have to do it for work all the time. I look at my sweatpants longingly.

 _Stop it, Tris. You need to at least try to give this date a chance._

I am twenty-seven years old, single, and my profession does not make it easy to meet guys. I laugh thinking about the Jennifer Lopez movie, The Wedding Planner — so romantic, yet so unrealistic. Sadly, Mom saw it, too, and she keeps warning me not to fall for any of the grooms. Um, yeah — I'll try to control myself, ha! As most of my friends are settling down and starting families, I am taking matters into my own hands, and I'm trying this online dating thing.

Slowly blowing air through my lips, I pull up the weather on my iPhone again.

Ugh. Typical South Florida rain. Awful thunderstorms one minute, open skies the next. Of course now, just as I will need to walk several blocks to a sports bar, it is like a monsoon out there. My car had two flats this afternoon, and by the time I was able to get it to the tire shop they were about to close and didn't have my model of tires in stock. I must've driven through a construction site, since they found nails embedded in all four tires. So, I am vehicle-challenged this evening.

At least my date seemed cool when I asked to change the location of dinner. We had initially agreed on a sports bar in the middle between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, but with my car troubles I didn't want to take an Uber so far. We agreed to meet at Bokamper's, a great sports bar right on the Ft. Lauderdale intracoastal. Aside from the fun atmosphere and great food and drinks, it's also possible to watch the yachts and boats going by, whether sitting at the outdoor bar or at a table.

It is also several blocks from my duplex apartment, so I can easily walk there. What I was not anticipating, however, was this tremendous downpour. I'll look like a drowned rat for sure!

I settle on a maroon A-line skirt, short heels and a black, fitted top. I chuckle as I stare in the mirror at my perfectly straight, long hair. Once the rain gets to me, it will bounce right back to the naturally loose curls I am always blow drying out. I bite my lip and wonder if my umbrella will be enough to keep me looking presentable. I think about the pictures we've exchanged — my date is really good looking. Just my type, too: blond and built. I'm hopeful we will hit it off. I'd love to turn off my dating profile.

The chime of my cell phone breaks me out of my own thoughts, and I pick it up to see who has texted me. Smiling, I read his message:

 _Hey Tris! I'm really looking forward to meeting you for the first time at our date tonight._

Before I can overthink it, I write back:

 _Me too, Eric. Would you mind picking me up at the corner of my block? I'll be the girl with the red umbrella._

 **++++o++++**

 **Part II: The Bad Date**

 **** Tris POV ****

I step out of my apartment duplex ten minutes before we agreed to meet down the block. There is a covered bus stop, so I'll be able to get out of the rain. A girl can't be too careful; I don't need a guy I haven't met yet knowing where I live. Turning to lock the deadbolt with my key, I'm startled when I hear someone clear their throat right behind me.

"Tris, I assume?" Eric says, his voice sounding very confident and charming.

My eyes widen as I whirl around, shocked.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to frighten you. I was planning to surprise you with these," Eric says while handing me a large bouquet of red roses.

I smile and thank him. It crosses my mind that he now knows exactly where I live. Just _great._

Eric smiles. He is just as handsome as every photo he posted on his dating profile. It throws me that he insists on waiting outside as I put my flowers away. It's not like I asked him to come in.

He's parked right in front of my duplex. He mentions what a coincidence, since he had planned to be waiting at the corner with red flowers in hand to match my red umbrella. I smile at him, relaxing some. That is a sweet gesture.

As Eric opens the passenger door to his BMW, he compliments me. "I like the bar you picked, and it has great reviews on Yelp."

"Yeah, it's a really fun place," I reply tightly. I am still feeling a little nervous as this is the start of the date.

"Don't get me wrong, this was quite the drive all the way from Miami, but I can already tell that you are worth the effort," Eric says with a smirk as he fastens his seatbelt.

I nod politely as I push away the weird vibe I am getting, reminding myself this is just one dinner. Another reason why I'm single, aside from my crazy work schedule, is that I'm too picky and closed off with men. Some of my happiest friends had rough starts with their now-husbands. Dating is hard, for me at least.

What I'm hoping to avoid is the uncomfortable drop off when the night is over. Now that Eric knows where I live, I may need to be firm that he is not coming in at the end of our date. I'm not into one night stands. I've learned from personal experience that guys don't usually mean it when they say, "I'll just come in for one drink." To each their own, but hooking up so quickly is just not for me.

After Eric valets his car, I hear him tell the hostess he would like a table with some privacy but also with a clear view of the water. Typical Florida, it's not raining now. We are led to a booth. As Eric ushers me into my side of the table I notice how obvious he is about staring at my ass. He doesn't even try to hide it. I shift my eyes and pretend I didn't notice.

The hostess, who saw the whole thing, quickly hands us two menus and then takes off. I glance around the room; it is a pretty busy night, but also pretty tame. My friends and I love coming here for big sports games or trivia nights.

Before I can open my menu, I am surprised to feel Eric's hand on mine from across the table. I glance up to see what he has to say.

"I just want to say how nice it is to not be disappointed by one of these online dates," Eric says smoothly. I smile politely, thinking about how nice he is. Until he continues to speak, that is.

"I can't tell you how many times I pick the girl up and she is a dog. I've actually asked dates who they paid to let them use their photo for their dating website," Eric laughs.

I blink rapidly. Although a compliment to me, I'm instantly put off at how rude he is being. My lips pressed together, I stay silent. What can I say to that? I've also been on internet dates where the man must have used a picture of himself taken a decade or two prior. I never saw the point of being rude about it.

"I have to admit, I'm a total tits guy. At first, your pictures made me think twice. I wasn't sure your small, perky boobs would do it for me. But let me say, your fine ass makes up for it," Eric smiles seductively at me. "You are a gorgeous woman, Tris. You have an amazing body with the most beautiful mouth I've ever seen."

The waitress standing at our table clears her throat. My eyes are the size of saucers, while Eric scowls at her for interrupting him.

"Hey, guys. My name is Tori, I'm your waitress tonight. What can I get you started with?" she says confidently, immediately striking me as someone who doesn't take any crap. If she heard what Eric was just saying to me, she's not letting on.

"We will start with two Coronas. Please keep the beers flowing. I'm not going to be happy if I end up with an empty bottle. Got it, Rory?" Eric says coolly while watching me intently.

"Sure thing," Tori mumbles while not correcting him on her name.

"Excuse me, may I also have a glass of water?" I ask politely. I'm unnerved by the direction this date is going.

"Sure thing, miss," Tori says while retreating, giving me a sympathetic look the moment Eric glances away from us to check out the score of the game on the television.

My mind is racing — is this guy for real? We haven't even gotten our first drink and he is talking about my breasts and butt? How is he also a guidance counselor at a high school?! I lean back on my side of the booth, resting my chin on my hands that are propped up, my elbows resting on the table. I'm making it a point to block my subpar "tits" from his view.

I fight to keep the scowl off my face. In that moment, I decide this will be the fastest dinner in the history of man, and then I will get myself home with an Uber. Eric begins rambling on about his online poker ring, and how good of a player he is. If he can find enough suckers, that's when he makes the big money.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a handsome, brown-haired man enter the outside seating area and make a beeline for a group I noticed earlier. They're having a small family celebration, a birthday dinner for the adorable baby at their table not too far from mine, although it looks like their meal is almost over. I smile softly at how happy his friends are when he arrives. When the brown-haired man looks my way, we lock eyes, and I feel an instant spark of connection. He is staring at me intently, too. For a moment, I wonder if we know each other. I've worked so many events, between guests and different vendors, it's definitely possible.

Mm-mm, he is so damned good-looking. His friends seem normal, too, and he is probably not an asshole like my date.

Then I remember I _am_ here on a date, and although it's been a shitty start, I am not going to be that girl. Blushing deeply, I force myself to look away from the handsome stranger and focus on my beer, which I haven't yet touched. Stealing a glance at Eric, I see that he is engrossed on his cell phone and didn't notice my wandering eyes.

Wait, is Eric looking at sexy chick pics on his cell?! I force myself to look away again. I don't even care.

"Where the fuck is that waitress? She sucks, and she has a bad attitude. What a perfect combination," Eric mutters grumpily.

I frown at his rudeness, having no idea what our waitress could have done to make him so cranky. She has kept his stupid beers flowing. I decide to change the subject. I can't stand to hear people rag on servers that are only guilty of working their asses off.

"So, you're a guidance counselor… how was work today?" I ask pointedly. I am done listening to him bitch about our waitress.

"My day was the usual bullshit. Working at a ghetto high school in Miami is never boring between the sluts, druggies, and moron jocks. And that's just the students. My annoying coworkers and asshole boss are always up my ass, too," Eric grunts while rolling his eyes.

I have nothing to say to that, so I just bite the inside of my cheek and remain quiet.

"Oh, I had one girl offer me a blow job in exchange for me signing off on a semester's worth of counseling sessions she didn't get done!" Eric howls with laughter. "But then I remembered we had this date. Hey, don't worry — I turned her down."

My eyes widen in shock, is he kidding right now?

"Here is your beer, and I'm ready to take your order," Tori snaps at Eric. She has a frown on her face. She obviously heard him.

As Eric and Tori discuss the menu, I feel the hair on the back of my neck prickle. I glance at the bar and see the handsome stranger is getting a round of drinks for his table and is charging them to his credit card. I notice the way he smiles kindly at the older gentleman tending bar, and as he sits to wait, his eyes immediately find mine. Butterflies are tickling in my chest, and I can't ignore the warm, jittery feelings he gives me. He's staring at me intently again. And then I see a frown cross his face as he glances away from me.

I forget all about the brown-haired stranger as my attention is immediately snapped back to Eric, who's now standing at my side of the booth and moving to sit down right next to me.

I frown at him and shake my head no before I can formulate words.

"Come on, Tris. Unless you want to sit on my lap, which I wouldn't mind, scoot over and make room," Eric says snidely as he slides into the booth next to me.

"Eric, I would rather you stayed on your side. We don't even really know each other yet, and—" I begin, feeling flustered. I have zero desire to sit so close to this jerk.

"You're being silly, just move over," Eric commands as his hip rams into mine and he forces his way into my booth.

Accepting that I am not going to convince him, I slide over as far away as possible. Ugh, this date just keeps getting worse and worse.

When Tori brings over the nachos we ordered as an appetizer, her eyes almost bug out of her head upon seeing the new seating arrangement. This time I give her the "please help me" look, and she purses her lips. I decide in that moment that this date needs to end as soon as possible. The sooner the food is gone, the sooner I can leave. I'm so over this night. I want to go home and put my sweatpants on. This experience has made me regret going on this date at all — I'd rather be single than date jerks like this.

I begin eating quickly, regretting the burger I ordered. As I am inhaling the nachos, I decide I can ask Tori to put my meal in a to-go box and just bill me for my portion of the food and drinks. I'm not even bothering to fake small talk at this point.

I just want _out._

Eric starts laughing at me. He is well into his third beer at this point. I frown and brace myself, I can tell from his evil smirk he thinks he has something amusing to say to me.

"Well, at least I know you can swallow, right?" Eric says really loudly.

Stunned, I drop my fork and it crashes with a loud clank onto my plate. My cheeks instantly turn flaming red; I can feel the heat making its way down my neck and chest.

I am livid. In my twenty-seven years of life, no man has ever talked to me this way. Enough is enough.

"Eric, that was completely inappropriate!" I hiss at him. My eyes burn with anger.

Eric rolls his eyes while waving his hand in a 'shoo' type motion, and says, "Oh, calm down! I was going to find out in a few hours anyways."

My back stiffens, he basically just told me he expects me to suck his dick later tonight.

 _I'm so done._

"This date is over. Get the hell away from me. Move!" I say forcefully. "I want out of this booth."

Eric doesn't move to let me out of the booth. Instead, he leans closer to me. I teeter between anger and utter confusion. My brows furrow as I instinctively lean further away from him.

Suddenly, Eric's face is cold and hard. His eyes narrow as he leans closer to me again. "Sweetheart, I picked you up. I know where you _live."_

For the first time in my life, I feel scared of a man. This lowlife knows exactly where I live. I suddenly feel clammy and sick to my stomach. I lower my eyes, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from crying.

I don't know what to say or do.

 **++++o++++**

 **Part III: A Hero**

 **** Tris POV ****

Before I can decide what to do about my situation, the handsome man appears and is standing over our booth. He looks at me sympathetically for a moment before directing his gaze coldly to Eric. The stranger grabs a nearby chair and places it at the edge of our booth. He sits down and joins us, essentially blocking Eric into the booth. I feel Eric's body stiffen next to me, and for a moment, I worry Eric may lose it and things may get physical.

As Eric and the stranger stare each other down, I can't help but notice how incredibly attractive this man is. I'm guessing he is a couple of years older than me. He's wearing a dark grey suit that fits him perfectly. He has brown hair, dark blue eyes, and the most gorgeous face. His lips are plump and look extremely kissable.

I realize this is not an appropriate time to have these thoughts, but hey, I'm not blind.

Eric is full-on scowling while looking the man up and down. The stranger quickly pulls out his Fort Lauderdale Police Department ID and puts it on the table for Eric to see. Eric's eyes widen, his demeanor instantly changing. Instead of being ready for a fight, he cowers back into the booth.

"Hopefully you are _capable_ of reading my ID. I am Detective Eaton," the man says coldly. "I was quietly celebrating my goddaughter's birthday with my dear friends when I distinctly heard you threaten this young lady. Would you care to explain yourself?" Detective Eaton says firmly, a serious look on his face as he stares at Eric.

Eric is nervously wringing his hands. "I, ah, well, um, you see…"

Detective Eaton glares at bumbling Eric. "That's what I thought. Now see, the police take a very dim view of that kind of thing. So, right now I'm deciding if I want to have some of my buddies come pick you up," the detective says calmly.

I can physically feel Eric trembling next to me. "Oh! Um, well that…" he stutters.

Cutting Eric off, the detective quietly says, "But that would disrupt everyone's dinner, so how about this: you hand me your ID, because I wouldn't want you running off on me, and I'll wait here while you settle your _full bill_. This young lady shouldn't go hungry on account of your very poor behavior. Or we can go with the first option. I'll leave it up to you."

I sit quietly, watching the exchange and feeling a tremendous sense of relief and gratitude.

Quickly handing the detective his ID, Eric says, "No, no! That's perfectly fine!" in a high-pitched voice. He sounds terrified.

Almost as scared as I was feeling a few moments ago.

After the detective looks over the ID, he then scowls at Eric, "Well?"

Eric scurries to stumble out of the booth, having to quickly squeeze past Detective Eaton. Eric rushes over to Tori, who waves the bill at him with a smirk on her face. She was watching the entire exchange from the bar and was ready for Eric to settle the bill.

I watch as the detective pulls a small notepad out of his inside suit pocket and begins jotting down the details from Eric's ID.

"Sorry about that, miss, I hope I'm not intruding. It just seemed like you could use some help," the detective pauses to look at me, and instantly the spark is there again. His eyes glance at my lips and then he quickly catches himself and looks away for a moment. He glances at my eyes again before turning his attention back to writing Eric's information down. "Oh, and don't worry, if you want to pursue this further, I'll have some of the boys pick him up on his way home. We can definitely have charges pressed," he finishes.

"No charges, I really just want to forget he exists. Thank you so much, Detective Eaton. And my name is Tris Prior, by the way." I smile gratefully at him, and he gives me a small smile in return. "He's awful. I wanted to run out of here from the moment the date started. But as you heard, it just kept getting worse and worse. The joys of internet dating..." I joke, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

I look down, biting my lip. I'm embarrassed to find myself in this situation at all. I'm not a teenager, I should have put the brakes on much earlier. My biggest mistake was having him pick me up anywhere near my home.

Detective Eaton clears his throat to get my attention back on him. "Well, I'm here with some close friends — more like family, really." He suddenly stops writing in order to make eye contact, giving me his full attention. I gulp nervously, his gaze is so intense. "It's my goddaughter's first birthday dinner celebration. Perhaps you'd like to finish your meal with us? I can take you home afterwards, unless you'd prefer to call someone else?" the detective finishes softly as he continues to hold my gaze. As if I could look away.

I smile with relief, the knot in my stomach unraveling as I realize how incredibly kind he is. And let's not forget handsome. I fight to control the strong urge I have to touch his beautiful face and devour those full lips. He is so gorgeous, and all I can think about is how I want to–

"Um, Ms. Prior?" the detective tries to get my attention, raising his eyebrows and smiling.

"Yes?" I can't believe I let my mind wander to those places, and I pause, flustered. "I mean, yes. That would be really nice, thank you so much!" I say excitedly, smiling at him with relief. The thought of walking out of here alone and waiting for an Uber sends chills down my spine. I was really shaken up by Eric's threats. "Please call me Tris," I add, loving the way his eyes warm up and he steals another glance at my lips. Oh my, could he possibly feel even one-tenth of the attraction I do? My cheeks flush with warmth.

"Only if you call me by my first name. It's Tobias," he says calmly while smiling at me. Tobias's eyes then become cold and serious as Eric quietly approaches the table, his head down.

Eric looks embarrassed. When he glances up to stare at me, I immediately feel uncomfortable and shift further away, making myself a smaller target. He then turns his attention to Tobias. "Uh, so, I've paid the bill, if I could have my ID back now?"

Tobias stands up to face Eric head on. "Here you go." He hands the ID back to Eric. "Now, I have your details right here," Tobias says while showing Eric his notepad. "So, I highly recommend you don't contact or go near this lady _ever_ again."

Eric gulps, apparently realizing the severity of the situation. "Yes, yes of course. I'm so sorry!"

Eric runs out of the bar without even giving me a second glance, and Tobias watches him leave.

Tobias then sits back down in the chair he had pulled over, and we smile at each other a little awkwardly, neither of us saying anything.

Tori arrives at the table with a big smile on her face. "I charged Eric for the burger she ordered, and I made the personal decision to add one of our specialty items, the strawberry milkshake that's made for two people to share. The food and shake will be coming out shortly." She eyes us mischievously.

I bite my lip as Tobias and I lock eyes. I see a slight flush to his cheeks. I can tell he is waiting for me to say something.

"So, do you like strawberry milkshakes?" I smile at him and raise my eyebrows questioningly.

Tobias grins at me. "My absolute favorite! Come on, Tris, my friends and I would love to have you join us."

He stands up and offers me his hand to help me up. I smile at him as I take it, immediately impressed by his firm grip.

 **++++o++++**

 **Part IV: Dinner with Friends**

 **** Tobias POV ****

I shoot Zeke a look to let him know she is joining us before standing and offering Tris my hand. I'm oddly excited; there is something about this girl that has me completely intrigued. She is not just gorgeous, there's also a warmth and intelligence to her that I find very attractive.

I'm of course relieved that dealing with her obnoxious date went smoothly, but there was a little part of me that would have enjoyed pummeling him had he given me cause. _Only_ in self-defense, of course.

I've seen a lot in my line of work, and that little bastard was pushing the envelope. I'm pretty good at reading people, and I can honestly say that I don't think he was actually joking.

The moment I arrived, I sensed something was off with my group of friends. Before they could even get me up to speed, I happened to glance around the room and that was when I saw her. She was just lovely, and her expressive eyes captivated me immediately. Had Tris been sitting with a group of girlfriends instead of being on a date _,_ I would have walked right over to introduce myself.

And I never do that. Ever.

Tris nervously gives my hand a squeeze as we arrive at the table, my friends eagerly awaiting us. Most wave excitedly; they love a good show. I can see Zeke looks a little disappointed. He had told me before I walked over to confront Eric that he would be ready to assist in the event the jerk overpowered me.

As if.

I slowly run my thumb along the inside of Tris's palm to reassure her. I'm surprised when my own heart skips a beat at the contact.

When I approach, I give a quick introduction to my group of friends:

❖ My best friend Zeke, and his wife Shauna. And, of course, the birthday girl, Leah, who just turned one, and who is also my goddaughter.

❖ Uriah, who is Zeke's younger brother, and his fiancée, Marlene. I mention that Marlene and I share godparenting duties as she is Leah's godmother.

❖ And lastly, there is Lynn, who is Shauna's sister, and her girlfriend, Josie.

Tris smiles politely as I introduce her to the group. I smile, noticing that someone has already pulled up another chair and made room for her right next to my spot. I look at Zeke while nodding at the chair, and he smiles and motions to Uri.

"We were hoping that Four's damsel in distress would successfully be saved, and therefore join our party, so I went ahead and got your seat ready," Uriah says with a bright smile.

"Well, I'm glad she did decide to join us," I say confidently as I usher her into the empty chair next to mine. Tris grins at me the moment my hand makes contact with her back. _Shit -_ I am so into her already, and it's throwing me for a loop.

Once we are seated, the festivities resume. We are having a small birthday gathering, since Leah already had a huge party with family, other kids, and the families from her daycare class. Shauna resumes opening Leah's birthday gifts. We laugh at Uri's gift, which is a shirt that says "I got my good looks from my Uncle!"

Without having being conscious of it, both Tris and I have moved so we are sitting very close to each other, her shoulder even resting against mine as she leans towards me. I've caught her looking at me a few times, while I know she has caught me gazing at her lips appreciatively. God, I wish we were alone. I need to get to know her better. I have this feeling that she is someone who is going to be a really important part of my life.

Tris leans in close enough to whisper in my ear. "A table full of couples… Um, is your girlfriend coming late?"

I try very hard to control the huge smile that her question elicits. I'm hoping she's asking because she likes me. I lean closer to her, slipping my arm around the back of her chair while being careful not to actually touch her. Tris smiles and leans closer as well, seemingly anxious to hear my answer.

"Tris, I'm completely single," I assure her.

Tris giggles. "Funny, so am I!" We both laugh as I move my arm around her shoulder and give her a small hug. Tris doesn't seem to mind at all as she draws into my arms.

"I have your milkshake, are you two ready to share it?" Tori teases. Tori is a longtime friend of our group, and she alerted me right away that she had a possible problem at one of her tables. What most people don't know is that Tori's husband, Bud, is a lead detective in my department, so Tori is not someone you want to mess with. Bud makes me look like a Girl Scout. Tori places the large milkshake between us, two straws sticking out at opposing angles. Tris and I both smile and lean in at the same time to try a sip.

Our eyes meet, and I feel my throat tighten up. I see that her cheeks are flushed. After a few moments of Tris and me sharing the milkshake while making eyes at each other, I notice the stunned looks on the faces of all my friends — except for baby Leah, of course. I know they've never seen me like this. I'm a workaholic, and I haven't even bothered to date in the last couple of years. I've chosen to be alone, especially after a string of annoying dates.

As gift-opening time continues, Tris's burger and my steak arrive. Tori smiles and sets down our meals, commenting that we haven't made much of a dent in the shake. Tris eyes my dinner, seemingly confused that I'm just eating now when everyone else has finished their meals. Uriah notices her confusion as well.

"Oh, yeah. One thing you should know about Four — he is a workaholic. He is almost always late to gatherings. Like he was tonight." Uri laughs while devouring his piece of cake. Gee, I'm sure that's making me sound really attractive to Tris. I shoot Uri a grumpy look. I'll deal with him later.

"Well, to be fair, Four here is one of the youngest detectives in the Fort Lauderdale department. He has worked his ass off to be successful and, you know, put bad guys away. So we cut him a break," Zeke says confidently as he stares at Tris to make sure she's listening.

Tris smiles, first at Zeke and then at me, before speaking. "My friends would probably say the same thing about me. Except with my job, I'm not even late. I usually can't make it at all."

"Oh, what do you do?" Shauna asks curiously.

"I'm an event planner, and I do try to keep my jobs in the South Florida area, but sometimes a client will convince me to plan their out-of-town event," Tris says calmly. "Depending on the package the client selects, I can either just run the event the day of, or for some of our more elaborate events, the client may want me at _every single_ meeting they take. I can't even count how many cake tastings I have been to!" Tris finishes with a laugh.

Marlene's eyes almost bug out of her head, "Oh my God, you're a wedding planner?! What company are you with? I finally nailed Uri down on a wedding date, so I'm ready to start planning!"

Tris laughs at Marlene's dramatic explosion, while Uri smirks as he eats more cake. I'm relieved he finally gave that poor girl a date; she was starting to bounce off the walls. Zeke and I would tease him that if she killed him in a rage, it would make my job very difficult, as I would be sympathetic to her plight.

"I actually have my own company. I interned in events management starting when I was a freshman in high school, so after college I decided to just go for it and be my own boss. I have a decent-sized team working with me. I own _Prior Engagements,"_ Tris finishes softly. I can tell she is starting to get embarrassed. She shoots me an apprehensive look. I love that she is successful and hardworking, as I like a strong woman. I'm finding her more and more attractive with each moment that passes.

"Holy shit! You own _Prior Engagements?!_ That is one of the top event management companies in South Florida. Wow!" Marlene says while squeezing Uriah's hand in what I can only imagine is a painful manner; he looks tortured while staring at her grip.

"That's amazing, Tris," I say reassuringly as I smile at her. She smiles back. For a moment, it feels like we are the only two people in the room. I'd lean in and kiss her if we were alone — or at least strongly consider it.

After a while, the subject of Eric comes up. I'm not at all surprised, really. It's not like half of the outside seating area didn't hear what was going on at her table. Eric was not being very discreet with his harassment.

"Um, yeah, Eric. He was an internet date gone bad," Tris admits sheepishly.

Lynn, who is the abrasive little sister I am glad I never had, says, "Um, that was dumb. Why would you let a guy you met online know where you live?"

Shauna's hand slips under the table, to poke or pinch her sister, no doubt. Lynn flinches, and then tries to soften her comment. "I mean, you seem like you have your shit together…but that was still pretty dumb."

I feel Tris stiffen, and I want to comfort her, so I slip my hand into hers under the table and give her a reassuring squeeze. I then turn my attention to Lynn and give her a death stare. Lynn gives me the "What now?" face, probably thinking her last comment was a big improvement.

"You're absolutely right, Lynn. Looking back, I wish I would have handled the situation differently. Long story short, at the last minute I asked Eric to pick me up at the bus stop at the end of my block. I even left my duplex ten minutes early, thinking that I wouldn't be risking him seeing me leave," Tris sighs. "Unfortunately, he was already waiting outside of his car and saw exactly which unit I came out of. He even had flowers, and offered to wait outside my door while I put them in water."

I frown hearing this; Eric sounds very conniving and deliberate to me. Most men would expect a date to not let the flowers die, and thus she would then go back home to put them in a vase with water. An opportunistic man with bad intentions would use this as his chance to find out where the woman lives. I steal a glance at Tris, so lovely and sweet. The thought of anyone preying on her and hurting her makes me feel both angry and fiercely protective.

Marlene and Shauna basically verbalize what I have been thinking, exclaiming that Eric sounds like a predator and that he probably planned the whole thing. Tris nods quietly, and I can see she is putting on a calm face. But it also seems that this bothers her more than she is willing to let on.

As the group talks about various horror stories they've heard, I lean closer to Tris to whisper in her ear. She smiles tentatively and scoots closer to me. Having her so close, I inhale a deep breath to steady myself.

"Tris, promise me you'll be more careful if you should decide to go on any more internet dates. I'd hate for anything to happen to you," I whisper to her, our foreheads almost touching. Tris is looking at me intently, blatantly watching my lips as I talk. It takes every bit of self control I have to not close the gap between us and kiss her.

Tris blushes crimson; she looks even cuter when she's flustered. Meeting my gaze, she smiles slightly and nods in agreement. Damn, I _really_ like this girl. I hope she will date me instead, and then never have to go on another blind or internet date again.

I hear Zeke cough, his traditional attention-getting sound. I glance over to him and he motions to his cell phone. I realize that he has sent me a text:

 _Dude, you look like you want to throw her on the table at my kid's bday dinner and have your way with her. Relax. You don't want to scare her off. We are wrapping up soon, so ask her out._

I feel my cheeks flush hotly. I didn't realize I was being so obvious about my feelings. I'm way out of practice with flirting and dating. I nod silently to Zeke. He's right — I need to let her know I'm interested in her.

If she doesn't feel the same way, I will accept it, of course, even though I already know that I'll be very disappointed.

But at least I will have tried, for once.

I glance over at Tris. Like me, she is eating her dinner while the group around us is laughing and talking. I see that Tori has split the bill by couple, and then me. I smirk, remembering that Eric already paid for Tris's meal and our milkshake.

It's now or never.

I casually touch my hand to her back to get her attention.

I smile at Tris, and she automatically smiles back.

"The rest of the group is heading home for the night. Would you like to stay here with just me?" I ask nonchalantly, even though I'm anxious to hear her say yes.

"Maybe make a date of the rest of evening?" I add casually, not wanting to push too hard. I need to remember what she just went through with that loser.

Tris bites her lip, as though she's thinking about it.

"Just _maybe_ a date?" Tris asks directly, her eyes studying me.

Realizing immediately she is calling me out on my wishy-washy crap, I shake my head at my stupidity and try again. "Tris Prior, I would love it if we could make the rest of this evening a real date. After dinner, I'd like to take you for a walk on the intracoastal and watch the boats." I grin, feeling more confident now that Tris looks so happy. "I will bring you safely home afterward, like a true gentleman ought to do. I promise!"

"I'd love that, and I'm glad it will be a date!" Tris says emphatically, her eyes glinting with a bit of humor.

I lean close and firmly kiss her cheek, dangerously close to her lips.

I can already tell this is going to be the start of something pretty damned good.

 **++++o++++**

 **Part V: The New Date**

 **** Tobias POV ****

After the group leaves, Tris and I are alone at our table and look at each other awkwardly until we both crack a smile and laugh. We start talking, and it turns out we have a lot in common. We both take our careers very seriously, we're both workaholics, and we both have realized that most of our social circle has settled down or is working towards it.

"So how old are you?" I ask carefully. "If you don't mind me asking, of course!"

Tris laughs. "It's fine, I was about to ask you that myself. I'm twenty-seven. You?"

I smile. "I'm twenty-nine, and I think this is the year I get to stop aging, so you met me just in time," I tease. I love her laugh, her entire face lights up when she does.

After talking and getting to know each other more, we decide to take that walk along the intracoastal that I suggested. I casually slip my hand into Tris's and our fingers intertwine. It's turned into a beautiful night and the skies are clear, so there are many boats out on the water. It makes for a very romantic evening.

"I noticed that all of your friends call you Four, but you told me your first name was Tobias. Is Four a nickname?" Tris asks.

I had expected that she would pick up on that. She seems to pay very close attention to details, which makes sense, given her profession. I take a moment to clear my throat before answering.

"I stopped using the name Tobias many years ago. Pretty much everyone in my life calls me Four now." I pause, deciding how much to tell her. I don't want to freak her out. "When I met you, it just felt right to tell you my real name, even more so given the circumstances. I needed you to know you could trust me."

Tris smiles at me, but I can see by the expression on her face that she doesn't really understand what I am trying to say. I pull her over to the side of the walkway so we are not blocking the main path. Slipping both of my hands into hers, I pull her close. Tris is now staring at me intently.

"Tris, the truth is that I never date. My job is crazy, and most importantly, I've never felt a real connection with anyone before. Either I'm always focused on a case, or I'm simply being a complete loner." I pause to breathe. I know I need to be honest with her.

"The moment I walked into that bar tonight and we locked eyes, I felt as though the wind was knocked out of me. And then I realized you were on a date, and I was so bummed," I confess. "So, after everything that happened tonight, I have to admit that I loved hearing my real name on your lips."

Tris turns her head to the side to study me, her eyes bright and calm. She pulls her right hand out from my grasp and gently touches my face.

"I felt just as affected when I first saw you, Tobias," Tris whispers softly, moving her body closer to me.

She leans up and presses her lips to mine softly, and then quickly pulls away. She looks up at me expectantly, perhaps worried that kissing me was too bold.

I follow my gut, wrapping my arms around her tightly and pulling her body close. Our eyes are focused solely on each other.

"Tris," I murmur.

"Tobias," she breathes roughly.

I press my lips against hers and kiss her deeply. Her arms pull me even closer as our kissing becomes more and more passionate.

We stand out in the open on this beautiful Florida night, holding each other and kissing as though we are the only two people on the street. I'm not usually okay with public affection, but for the first time ever, I don't care.

The only thing that matters to me is this beautiful woman I am holding in my arms.

 _My date_.

 **+++o+++ Story End +++o+++**

 **Author's note :**

 **Loosely b** **ased on a true story:** hero-cop-story-throwawayforpancakes/?utm_content=inf_10_2558_2&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=socialedge&tse_id=INF_c78403e0811a11e7b54e3f059c156cd3

 **Article Title: Idiot Guy Treats His Date Horribly But Then This Off Duty Cop Overhears Their Conversation**

 **Huge shout out to amazing beta and reader B2KU for all of her help with this story, aside from fixing my crappy grammar she kicked this story back to me after her first read, and she was right. I loved it 100x more after making key changes. :)**

 **Enjoy!**

 **xo, FourTrisHEA**


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